Help 'Em or Hurt 'Em: A Fallout Tale
by JanetheWriter
Summary: The Sole Survivor isn't the only hero in the Commonwealth. Follow Evelyn (aka Cap) and her team of mercenaries, along with Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor, as they work to make the world a better place and rebuild the Minutemen, while helping a vault dweller named Ryan reunite with his son. This story runs parallel and will often overlap with the events from Fallout 4.
1. Chance Meeting

_**Chance Meeting**_

 _ **This is a story that mainly takes place during the Fallout 4 timeline, as well as some of the DLC. There will be some flashbacks to events before Vault 111 opens up. The Sole Survivor is not the main character, but the paths of familiar faces will cross quite often. I hope you enjoy this story and I welcome reviews.**_

* * *

Ev walked up the stairs to the roof of the inn. It was her favorite hide away. Her mother was in her room, crashing from her most recent chem bender. She just needed to get away from everything for a few minutes.

As she opened the door, a familiar face turned to greet her. His smile spread across his face and his bright blue eyes shown in the moonlight. "Hello, sunshine." He said to her.

She smiled back and walked to the waiting man. "What the hell are you doing up here, John."

"Me? I'm just looking at the scenery. I was wondering what was keeping ya from joining me." He said and looked up at the stars that shown through the hazy radiation clouds above. He sat down on the roof and, without pulling his eyes from the glistening dots above, patted the place next to him for her to join him.

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes before sitting down. "Only for a minute. I have to go back down there. Someone has to watch the place." She said and pulled out a cigarette. Placing it between her lips, she took a long drag before turning her eyes upwards as well.

"Didn't know the sky could look this good… No wonder you come up here so often." John said, still smiling that perfect smile. His soft blond hair flowed down his shoulders, the back pulled into a low ponytail. His strong features and glistening eyes added to his overwhelming charm. Women of any age could get lost in his looks, but when paired with his mellow, deep voice and his friendly yet strong attitude, they would often melt for him.

She puffed out some smoke. "Yeah, it's a great place to get away." She added, but fell silent again. She always felt comfortable around John. Their friendship had started only a few months ago, but she felt as if she could depend on him for anything and he felt the same for her.

After a few minutes, John turned his head to her. "Ya know… I think coming to Goodneighbor was the best thing that could have happened to me. I got a roof over my head, I got a job helping people… and I got someone like you to help me through this… this life." He said and scooted closer, putting an arm around her.

"Whoa, easy there, Casanova." She laughed and scooted away from his out stretched arm. "Those charms of yours aren't gunna work on me."

"No?" He asked, his smile widening, enjoying the challenge.

"Nope. Not with this girl." She said and stood to walk towards the door.

"Ev, wait…" He said, jumping to his feet. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, waiting for him to continue. "Well… why not? I mean… Why not us?" The young man asked, the smile still there but he seemed more serious.

"Because you'll break my heart, Mr. McDonough. And we can't have that." She said with another grin and opened the door to return to the real world, leaving John in the moonlight.

* * *

 ** _10 Years Later_**

"We're being followed." Twoey said, looking through the scope on his sniper rifle. The man's massive frame hugged the ground as he laid on his stomach in the rubble, aiming down his sights.

Evelyn looked down at the man as she stood next to him. She always found it amusing how her second in command and best friend's body looked laying prone to take a shot. His legs spread apart, and his massive shoulders towering over the stock of the rifle. Sitting atop those shoulders was a head with a mop of black, unruly hair on it. "How far away, would you say?" She asked.

Twoey thought for a second. "800 feet… looks like he is in one of them vault suits… It looks pretty damn clean too." The man opened his closed eye from taking aim and turned to look at her. "Well? What are the orders? Do I take 'im out?" He asked, his faded green eyes looking hollow as always.

Evelyn was about to respond before Boomer chimed in. "Awe come on…. It's just a little vault dweller. He's probably from 81, like the last one we caught. Had nothin' good on him and I felt bad when we made him wet his pants." The smooth voice was followed by the young man in a bomber jacket and black pants. He jumped down from the second story of the building that they were scavenging. His dirty blond hair stood up in a spikey style as he lifted the aviator sunglasses to sit on top of his head. Brown, bright, youthful eyes smiled at his traveling companions.

"You wouldn't stop laughing at him as he high tailed it away when Cap finally let him go." Twoey added before looking back down the scope. "Where's Cookie?"

Evelyn smirked. "Out investigating the vault dweller who has been following us for the last two miles." She said and gestured in the direction that Twoey's scope was pointing.

Twoey huffed. "Well why didn't you just tell me you knew he was already there?!" The big man bellowed, standing up straight. He pulled off his scarf and wiped the sweat from his ebony colored forehead.

Boomer laughed. "Where's the fun in that, right Cap?!" He said as he lowered the glasses again.

Evelyn nodded. "Exactly Boomer."

Ryan had been following this group for a while now. How he hadn't caught up to them yet made him suspicious. He had stumbled upon their handiwork when he saw a pile of Super Mutant bodies in a building on the outskirts of the ruins of Boston. Each had minimal gunshot wounds, meaning whoever put them down knew their weak points and were damn good shots.

He felt as though he was getting closer to them. He figured a group of 4, probably raiders, if Preston's information about the ruins was correct. Ryan deduced that he could get the drop on them and get some decent gear. Plus, a raider group like this probably had a sizable bounty on their heads. He could definitely use the caps.

The vault dweller stood at six feet tall and was built like an athlete, muscular frame but seemed agile as well. His dusty brown hair sat in a pre-war hair style, and was well trimmed, which was out of place in the wastes. He had some stubble on his face from not shaving for a few days now. He had classic good looks, which were not very common in the Commonwealth.

Ryan crouched down in the rubble of a building to take a closer look at the footprints that he had been following, his vault suit stretching at the knees. Looking up, he thought he saw glare from a scope hitting the sun. Had he been spotted? So much for his plan. Couldn't let the group know that he saw the scope, lest he get shot as well. As he stood up, he heard the click of a gun cocking behind him and felt the cold metal of the shotgun barrel on his neck.

"Big mistake…." A gruff, scratchy voice said to him before everything went black.

* * *

Off in the distance, Ryan could hear voices, speaking in low, hushed tones. His head was hurting terribly and he groaned instinctively. He tried to bring his hand to his head, but his wrists were bound behind him. _Just perfect…._ He thought to himself. He tried to open his eyes, but there was something tied around his head, blocking his view. The voices seemed to grow closer the more conscious he became.

"Well well…. Looks like someone is finally awake." A female voice said as a pair of large hands grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards a crackling fire. With a push, Ryan was on his knees, hunched forward slightly. With his vision cut off, his other senses heightened. He heard maybe four people moving. It felt like they were inside of a building and the wet, rotting smell of old papers made him think it was an office of some kind.

"You must be the raiders I have been following…" Ryan broke the moment of silence. He didn't know who he was dealing with, or how he was going to get out of this, but he figured talking would put things in motion, whether in a good direction or a bad one.

A slight chuckle was heard and then, "Raiders? I didn't know that's what we were classified as." The woman spoke again.

"I don't know, Cap. I feel like we could be called worse." A young man said with a laugh.

"True. So… Vault Boy… What's your name?" The woman spoke again.

Ryan paused for a moment. Since he left the vault, he had been trusting the people of the Commonwealth more than his instincts told him to. Now, at the mercy of God knows what these people were, he had no choice but to try to get himself into a better position. "Look, I don't mean to be rude… but I would much rather look the people who are threatening my life in the eyes when I talk to them."

In response to that, the group broke out in laughter. "For a vault dweller, you sure got a pair on ya, don't ya?!" A young man chortled. After a second or two, the rag over his eyes lifted and Ryan saw he was in a room with four other people. Part of the left wall was blown out, but the rest seemed fairly stable. He had been right about the office building, as the desks around the room made make shift barricades. In front of him was a crackling fire, which felt great against the cold autumn wind of late October.

He saw the three men first and noted their appearances. There was a large, dark skinned man whose face looked like stone, a young man in a brown bomber jacket, and a ghoul wearing road leathers and armor that looked pieced together. His milky white eyes bore into Ryan's grey ones. Ryan seemed to flinch at the sight of him, having very little contact with ghouls beyond the description that Preston gave him, and a few ferals in the wastes that he had gunned down.

His eyes then fell on the woman who spoke before. Her black hair was tied back into a bun with strands falling around her face. Her blue eyes were faded but seemed kind. Her pale skin and slightly pink cheeks were a contrast to her dark hair and her red lips was curved into a smile. She looked to be about five foot seven, muscular build from a life of survival in the wasteland. She was dressed in a long black leather coat, black pants, and wore black combat boots.

"Well? What's your name?" The woman asked, waiting for the vault dweller to stop staring. The other four smiled as Ryan snapped out of it.

"Ryan. My name's Ryan." He said with a nod. "And who are all of you?"

"Why were you following us, Ryan?" The woman asked again before any other introductions could be made.

"As I thought you all were raiders, the plan was to sneak up on you, kill you all and take your gear to use or sell." Ryan said, honestly. "But, since I was hopefully mistaken, that plan must not have been a good one." He said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The woman's grin widened. "My name is Evelyn. These guys call me Cap. That there is Twoey, Boomer and Cookie." She pointed to the big man, the young guy in the bomber jacket, and then the ghoul. When his name was said, the ghoul placed a pot over the fire to start cooking their dinner.

"Cap?" Ryan asked after a moment of silence.

"Short for Captain." Boomer said, leaning back on his arms to be more comfortable.

Twoey walked over to Ryan and cut the binds around his wrists. "Do anything that I don't like, and I will cut you into little pieces." The giant said in a low voice for Ryan to hear. The vault dweller smiled a bit nervously, rubbing his wrists.

"So, Ryan. What's with the suit? You really from a vault or what?" Boomer asked.

"Yeah. It's… It's a long story." Ryan said, keeping the information to himself.

The rest waited for more from the stranger but nothing else was spoken from him. "Well? We got all damn night!" Boomer continued with a chuckle. "Out with it, man."

"I was in a vault but I had to leave to find someone. My son. He... he was kidnapped and my wife was gunned down right in front of me. I couldn't do anything to stop it." He said, looking into the fire.

Cookie hit Boomer for pushing for more information in such a rude manner. "Ow. Hey. I'm sorry, alright? That's… that's some bad luck, VB. Real sorry, pal."

Ryan looked at Boomer with a cocked eyebrow. "VB?"

"Yeah…. Vault Boy. What, would you rather it be VD?" Boomer chuckled.

Ryan smirked. "Neh. VB works better, I guess." He said and wanted to change the subject from himself. "What about you guys? Who are you supposed to be?"

Boomer, the obvious chatter box of the group, was all too eager to oblige. "We are a rag tag group of mercs who are just trying to make it out here." He said. "Cap over there is our leader. She tells us what to do. Best shot you have ever seen. Trust me."

Evelyn rolled her eyes and motioned for Twoey to take first watch. Twoey shouldered his rifle and walked to the opening in the wall. Using a half broken ladder on the side of the building, he climbed up to the roof.

Ryan wanted to know more about this group. "What's your story? As you said, we have all night." He smiled.

Boomer continued. "Well, we all came to meet Cap in different ways. I was a slave, just being transported to Paradise Falls. That's in the Capital Wasteland. Anyway, my drunk, asshole of a big brother thought I was worth my weight in caps and sold me to some slavers while I slept. While I am walking with these two guys who were armed to the teeth, this collar flashing on my neck, I see something catch the sun light off in the distance. Just some rubble from a building, I figure. Nope, it was the Cap's scope. Next thing I know, the two men are dead and I am stuck standing in the open with nothing more than the rags on my back. I try to pick up one of their guns to defend myself but another bullet shoots the gun away from my hand.

I look over and I see this… this person covered from head to toe in clothes and rags, their gun pointed at me. I raise my hands and I say, 'Don't shoot. I don't mean no harm.' The person with the gun motions for me to get on my knees and I think _Well, this is it. I'm dead._ But instead, the person pulls out a knife and starts to fiddle with the collar around my neck. With a few twists, the thing pops off and falls to the ground. I look back up at the person and I see Cap's pretty face smiling back at me. We have been friends ever since. That was… what… 8 years ago now."

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah… It was right after I found Twoey at that farm." She said.

Boomer nodded. "Yeah. Poor Twoey. His family was killed by raiders. He was working in their fields when this group came and shot up the place, killing his wife and kid. When he got back, he ripped the whole lot of 'em limb from limb with his bare hands. Shortly after, Cap came across him sitting in a pile of bodies, unable to get past the sight of his murdered family. Cap pulled him away and gave him a new purpose in life."

Ryan let the story hang for a minute. _Seems like life was hard for everyone out here_. He looked over at Cookie, who was tasting their dinner, and tried to change the subject. "And what about Cookie over here?"

Boomer's smile returned to his face. "That one is a buddy of mine. After traveling with Cap for a while, I told her about this friend I had. He was workin' at a bar in the in this small town. Only his boss was a complete dick. Cookie was no better than a slave. He just didn't wear the collar. His boss had this contract that had our ghoul friend here working for him for free. Hell, he even owed the dick for room and board. "

"It wasn't that bad…" Cookie chimed in.

"He beat the shit outta you on a weekly basis!" Boomer said with a smile. "Anyway, I says to Cap that this guy could use our help. Cap, Twoey and I show up, I say hi to my friend here and introduce him to Cap. The bar owner comes out, and Cap asks how much does Cookie owe him. The dickhead says this ridiculously high amount. Couple thousand caps, or some shit that didn't make sense. Without batting an eye, Cap pulls out this huge bag of caps, dumps 'em out on the bar, and says that they have a deal. The owner starts to stutter and argue, but the Cap just looks at Cookie with a smile and says, 'You're with us now.' At first, Cookie doesn't know what that means. But I assure him that he is free to come and go, but that he won't find a better group to stick with."

"And he was right." Cookie said with a dopey smile. He started to dish out the food from the pot.

Boomer laughed as he grabbed a bowl and handed it to Cap. Once everyone had their bowl, including Ryan, they all started to eat. The food actually tasted good. Better than anything Ryan had eaten since leaving the vault.

"And what about you, Cap? What's your story?" Ryan asked, feeling more comfortably then he should have, as he was just a captive of theirs a short time ago.

Boomer's and Cookie's smile dropped off when he asked. "Um… Not a good question to ask, VB." Boomer said and looked at Evelyn.

She just smiled. "Just think of me as a Mysterious Stranger. I come into people's lives when they need me the most." She joked and ate more of her food. Ryan didn't know how true her statement was, but he smiled politely as they continued to eat in silence.

After dinner, Twoey came back into the room and Cap went to take his place. They all started to settle down for the night but something was bugging Ryan. "You all have nick names, right? Where do they come from?"

Boomer smirked. "As I said, Cap is short for Captain. We stumbled into a military base early on and found all of these old military files. Captain was a ranking officer back in the day, and since Evie was in charge... well, you get it. Twoey is second in command, or in other words, Cap's number two. Cookie is pretty obvious. And me? I like explosives. I prefer grenades and rocket launchers to the more traditional weapons. Hence Boomer. And now you are VB. Not every hostage we take in gets a nickname. Feel honored." He joked.

Ryan smiled. He liked this small team. He didn't know if he could trust them or not, but they looked like a group that could get shit done. Each person took a sleeping bag. Cookie stayed up to tend the fire and make sure Ryan didn't turn out to be a psychopath. For the first time since the bombs dropped, the man out of time was able to sleep soundly.

In the morning, Ryan woke to an empty room. The group that he had been caught by had packed up and left. His belongings and weapons were lying by his side, along with a new set of clothing. On the fire, he found warm leftovers from the night before and on top of his bag, he found a note that read:

 _Good Morning, VB. Here are some new clothes and armor so you don't look like you are easy pickings anymore. Left you some food too. Good luck with your son and I'm sure we will see ya in the wastes._

 _Hugs and kisses, Boomer and friends._


	2. The Maiden's Inn

**Chapter 2: The Maiden's Inn**

* * *

 _ **Welcome back! Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. This will be another long one. I don't know if they will all be as long as this one is, or the last one was. Sorry in advance if you don't like long chapters. And if you do, then this is for you. As before, I welcome reviews. Enjoy!**_

* * *

The group of four stood in front of the neon sign that read "Goodneighbor" with an arrow pointing to the entrance.

"So, this is the place?" Boomer chirped, looking the sign over. Evelyn nodded with a sigh.

"You sure you want to go back here?" Cookie asked, glancing at Cap. Again, she nodded and turned to walk towards the entrance.

She pushed the door open and, upon crossing the threshold, she was confronted with a view she hadn't seen in years. "Well… doesn't seems to have changed that much." She said to her friends who followed her in. Daisy's shop was still operational, surprisingly. The weapons shop looked to be in good shape too, with KLEO still manning the counter. Evelyn smiled and walked with her friends down the ally, past the state house and to the far side of the Third Rail.

Hotel Rexford still stood open, the red lights shining brightly. The Memory Den… That didn't seem to ring a bell. Must have opened after her time here. She turned to her right, seeing the boarded up building across the way to the entrance of the Third Rail. She glanced upwards, seeing the boarded up windows and door. Above her, hanging on the wall of the building, stood the tarnished metal statue of a woman, standing guard over the town.

The four convened in front of the building, taking it all in. It was just as Evelyn described; the brick front, the windows surrounding the exterior, and of course the statue. This must be it.

A drifter walked next to the group and stopped. "You thinking about getting into this building? You better go talk to Hancock." A ghoul in a black leather jacket and grey jeans said, her hair styled into a fancy pre-war hair style. "Probably need to pay rent or somethin'."

Evelyn looked over at the woman and cocked an eyebrow, puzzled. "Hancock? Who the hell is that?"

The drifter snorted. "You new around here? He's the mayor of Goodneighbor. Nice guy, but don't get on his bad side. He'll treat ya right if ya remember who's in charge."

Evelyn looked at her group, who smirked back at her. "I best go have a word with him then." She then looked at the drifter. "Thank you for the heads up. And where would I find Mayor Hancock?"

The drifter pointed to the State House. "Second floor. On the room to the right with all the couches and chems. Good luck, sister." The ghoul winked at Twoey before leaving them.

"There's a new group in town." The fiery, redheaded bodyguard said to her boss before putting the cigarette back into her mouth for another puff. Her metal armor chest plate and road leathers hugged an apparent slight frame, but looks were definitely deceiving. She was far deadlier than she appeared. "Four of 'em. Two guys, a girl and a ghoul. Sounds like the start of a bad radio play."

The ghoul in the tricorn hat chuckled low, sitting on one of the couches. His head was tilted back and he sank into the couch after taking a hit of jet. His red coat, old black pants and black boots stood out against the dinginess of the brown fabric he sat upon. The red, white and blue flag that he wore around his waist kept his white ruffled shirt tucked in. "She cute? The girl, I mean."

His bodyguard rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I didn't even see her. One of the watch told me about them a few minutes ago. They seemed to know what they were looking for, though. She lead the group straight to that boarded up building. The one across the way there." She pointed in the direction of the building in question.

This made mayor Hancock sit up straight, well straighter, on the couch. "The one with the statue on it? Why there? No one has been there in years…" He said, looking straight ahead of him. His thoughts started to wander to his past. To before he was a ghoul. To her. The jet, luckily, blocked out most of the memories.

"… Hancock…" Fahrenheit said, snapping her fingers in front of the ghoul's scarred face to bring him back to reality after he went silent for more than a minute.

The mayor shook his head and smiled at her. "Well, it would be un-neighborly if we didn't go introduce ourselves and welcome them to our little community." He replied. He stood up and fixed his coat over his thin frame. Adjusting his hat, he started towards the stairs only to be stopped when a woman in black started walking up to meet him.

At the top of the stairs, Evelyn looked around and her eyes met the black marbled ones of Hancock. She smiled pleasantly at him. "You must be Mayor Hancock, I presume?" She said to him.

At the sight of her, Hancock's breath caught in his throat. He stopped dead in his tracks and for a second thought he saw a ghost. Was the Jet that good that he was having a flashback of her? Upon looking at the woman more closely, he noticed her eyes were not the same as the girl's eyes were in his memories . And her face was thinner, more defined than the girl he thought she was at first glance. He blinked a few times and tried to play his sudden panic attack off as nothing.

Hancock walked the distance between them to greet her. "I am. And you are?"

"Call me Cap. Everyone else does." She said and stretched out her hand to shake his, which he accepted politely. "I am sorry to intrude or interrupt, but-"

"Hey, you kiddin'? We were on our way to do the introductions. Saved us the trip." He said with a smile. "What can I do for our newest arrival?"

"I was told by one of your residents that, if I wanted to get into one of the buildings here, I would need to talk to you. I have plans of opening up a… flop house of sorts, in that old abandoned building across the way." She said, gesturing with her thumb towards the building seen through a window. "I was wondering how much rent would be."

Hancock looked at her suspiciously. "And why would you want that building? I am sure we can find one more suited for your needs. That one has been closed for almost ten years now. Who knows what little buggers have nested there?"

"It's large enough for what we need it for, and based on some blueprints I found of the buildings around here, there is a bar, a sizable kitchen, and living space for a fair number of people." Evelyn said, putting her hand on her hip with a confident smile. "I did my homework."

Hancock returned the grin. "I can see that. Well, if you want it, I think I can let you use it. How does… 500 caps per month sound?"

"250. No one is using it now, so I think that's more than fair." Cap responded.

"Bargaining? I like it. 400." He counteroffered.

"300. I still have to make a living here."

"You don't know when to quit. 350." Hancock smirked.

"325. And I won't go a cap higher." Evelyn said and held her hand out to make the deal.

Hancock thought for a second and then shook her hand. "Don't know how I let you talk me down so low."

She shrugged and turned on her heels. "Pleasure doing business with you. Hope to see you at our grand opening. I'll be sure to send you an invitation." She said and descended down the stairs and out the door.

Fahrenheit looked at him, leaning against a wall near the stairs. "Hope you're not going soft." She said with a smirk.

Hancock huffed out a laugh and walked back towards his couch. "For that one? Can you blame me?"

The wooden boards over the door started to crack as Twoey pulled and tugged on the flat piece of scrap metal he found to pry the planks free. With one last, hard tug, accompanied by a grunt, the boards came loose and clattered at his feet. "Well… the door is still intact here!" Twoey said in a surprised tone.

The red doors to the building swung open easily, the lock broken off years ago. The group waited for Evelyn to walk in first. She stepped over the dusty welcome mat and stood in the main entrance way. Her boots made the floor creak under her weight, as no one had walked through here in years.

The first room that they entered was an dining area with a bar to the right. Behind the bar was a doorway that lead to the kitchen. In front of the bar stood a row of stools, some tipped over, others stood, waiting to be used. Spread throughout the rest of the dusty room was tables and chairs for dining, enough to sit a good sized crowd. Directly opposite from the door was a large archway. Stairs could be seen beyond it leading to the upper floors.

Despite the dust and what appeared to be radroach excrement, the place was in decent shape. The floors above hadn't caved in, the walls were still covered in what little wall paper remained after 200 years, and even some of the candles stood waiting to be lit.

Evelyn looked to the boarded up windows. "Let's get those boards down, start letting some light in here." She said and started on the window nearest to her. The rest of her group started on the other windows, letting in the sunlight from the outside.

"Look at this kitchen!" Cookie said as he walked behind the bar. Complete with plenty of work space, a working oven, stove and sink, he was in cooking heaven. "Christ, Cap… We should have come here ages ago!"

Evelyne smiled and looked back at Boomer and Twoey, who had finished freeing the windows. "Well? Think this will work for our home base? We can open the extra rooms for the public to use, and we can use this as a place for people to reach use for jobs. We stock the bar and kitchen, clean it up a bit… I can't think of a better place." She said with a shrug.

Boomer nodded happily. "Finally… a place to call our own. Wandering is fun and all, but-" He was cut off by Twoey.

"Is there another reason you want to be back here?" The muscle man asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Evelyn sighed and her smile faltered. "We can do some real good here, Twoey. Goodneighbor could use a place like this. Free rooms to those that need it, a good meal and drinks, and a group that can help them take on their problems."

Her friend sighed heavily but nodded. "Alright." He said in his deep voice. "Here seems good enough to me."

She smiled and nodded in thanks. She then turned her back on them and walked towards the stairs. She looked up towards the second floor and didn't take a step right away. She took in the familiar sight for a moment before venturing up, her boots hitting each step with a soft thud.

Boomer started to follow her, curious about the upstairs, but Twoey grabbed his arm and shook his head, in a sign that he shouldn't follow.

Once on the second floor, she passed by rooms, seeing faces that she had forgotten, memories that played in her head. Her mother and father slept in that room. Her room was the next one on the right. Miss Hayworth spent nights one floor up. As she traveled further up the building, her smile widened at the happy and not so happy times she spent here. But they were her memories, and seeing them play in her mind gave her some amount of peace about the place.

Onthe top floor, she found the stairs to the roof. She closed her eyes and remembered leaving John out there, in the moonlight. She left him there, and that's where she wanted him to be. She opened her eyes and turned to leave, afraid to open the door, knowing that he was gone, with his bright blue eyes, handsome good looks, and a heart worth loving. She knew he wouldn't be there waiting for her.

A week and a half of hard work paid off. The downstairs was completely cleaned and ready for use. The second floor now housed her team, each getting a room, a bed, a dresser and a small desk, though most didn't use the room for anything but sleeping. The third and fourth floors were also cleaned and empty of debris, dust and radroaches. It was time to open their doors for the grand opening.

Evelyn had met the people of the Memory Den. More importantly, she introduced herself to the man who played that Silver Shroud radio station, Kent Connelly. She had asked that he announce on his radio that their doors would be open for a party that evening. Free food and cheap drinks, as well as free rooms for anyone who needed one for the night.

Boomer was picking up some supplies at Daisy's Discounts for the celebration when he ran into a familiar face. "Am I seeing things, or is that VB?!" He asked in a loud voice as he turned to leave the shop. Walking through the main doors of the town was none other than Ryan, donning the clothes and armor that they had left for him.

Ryan looked at the direction of the shout and his smile grew across his face. "Boomer!" He said and approached the young man.

"What the hell are you doing here, pal? Come to get a fix? 'Cause there ain't a lot else to do in this town except get high." Boomer joked.

"I came to get some supplies. I bought out most of the ammo I needed in Diamond City, and I need to restock. I heard that there is a place called Kill or Be Killed here. Figured they would have what I needed." Ryan replied.

Boomer motioned with his head towards KLEO. "Yeah, the robot over there can help ya, I'm sure. Just make sure you treat her like the lady she is, alright? It'll make your life easier… and longer."

Ryan noticed Boomer's arms full of an assortment of things from cups to plates to wine and beer bottles. "Do you need a hand?"

He shook his head. "Nah, just need to get this back to the Inn. We are having our grand opening party. Hey! You should come! I bet Cap will give you a room for the night, free of charge." He smiled.

Ryan nodded. "I think I heard about that on the radio. I never would have guessed it was you guys that were opening it. You don't seem like the innkeep-ing type." He joked.

"Yeah well, we are now. Look, I gotta run. Make sure you show up, 'cause if I tell Cap that you were in town and DIDN'T come by, I don't know who she would be more mad at. See ya later." Boomer said with a wink and turned to leave.

Drifters and citizens of Goodneighbor alike gathered at the once closed up building. The first floor was bustling with people. Cookie had spent hours preparing enough food for everyone, and the bar was well stocked, with Evelyn behind it. Boomer insisted that he pour the drinks, but knowing what a light weight he could be, Cap let him enjoy the party. Twoey had hunted for the better part of three days to make sure that there was enough food to go around. He stood as a bouncer, if one was needed. Ryan, true to his word, swung by to join in the festivities and have a drink with the band of mercenaries.

The music and noises of the party could be heard even down in the Third Rail, which was practically empty. Hancock had gone down to inspect business in his bar, only to find Magnolia sitting on a stool and a few ghouls that were too hammered or high to move off of the couches. "What's going on, Chuck? Figured this place would be more lively." He asked Whitechapel Charlie, the Mr. Handy bartender he had reprogrammed to serve drinks and find people to run jobs when needed.

"Oh, it's that party over in that new inn that opened up. Somethin' about it came on the radio a few days back. Seems like everyone is there, gov." The robot replied.

"And me without that invitation that I was promised." Hancock muttered to himself with a smile. "Thanks Chuck. Mags, why don't you take the night off." He said over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. Crossing the walkway, he pushed the door open to the new business in Goodneighbor.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a rousing drinking song being led by a boisterous young man in a bomber jacket. The singing halted momentarily as cheers for the mayor rang out. Hancock tipped his hat to the crowd and the singing continued. The ghoul moved around the citizens of his town, many of them shaking his hand in their drunken revelry, and finally reaching the crowded bar. He saw the owner's back turned towards him and he took a moment to enjoy the view before he called for her attention.

Cap had on her black pants, but without her coat, her dark gray tee-shirt could be seen. Her black hair hung loosely down her back in long waves.

"I'd like to make a complaint about the bar service. What's a ghoul got to do to get a drink around here?" He shouted over the next verse of the drinking song.

Evelyn spun around, a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "Maybe he could start by asking politely." She smiled to him. "'Bout time you showed up." She said and pulled out two shot glasses from under the bar.

"I think I lost my invitation." He said with a wink as she handed him a shot. "You four got this place cleaned up real nice."

"Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She said and held the other shot glass in her hand. She moved it forward to toast with the mayor.

"Welcome to the neighborhood." He said and tapped her glass with his before they both took the shots.

"Thanks very much." Evelyn smiled back at him. Their eyes lingered for a few more moments before she was called to pour another drink. Hancock turned to watch the singing patrons, noticing Kent among the partygoers, along with some of his Neighborhood Watch, the security force in Goodneighbor. It made him happy to know people were enjoying themselves.

The doors opened again and the drunken crowd cheered for the new comers. Boomer was on a table next to the door, a glass raised in the air. "Welcome, Welcome, to the Maiden's Inn! The bar is open and we have food ready! Have a seat if you can find one!" Boomer shouted over the noise to the three heavily armed men who walked into the establishment. "Hey, make sure you keep those guns hol-" As Boomer was talking to the new arrivals, the one closest to him grabbed the legs of the table he was standing on and flipped it over, causing the young man to cry out and crash to the floor.

The singing stopped abruptly and all eyes were on the large ruffians who entered. The one in the middle, who was the tallest and strongest looking of the group, looked around the room. "What, don't tell me he wasn't annoying all of you with that god damn song?" He said with a mean smile. The room was silent.

The man walked through the crowd to the bar, his two lackeys hanging back at the door. "We heard that there was a party. Heard we could get a free meal and a place to crash. Didn't know it was going to be in a dump like this." He said. As he walked, the crowd parted and allowed him through. With so many people in the room, a stray bullet could hurt one of the innocent people in attendance. The members of the watch and Hancock knew better than to pull out guns.

As a few ghouls near Boomer helped him to stand, his nose bleeding, the leader of the three sat on a bar stool. "I guess I'll have a drink. On the house." He said to Evelyn, who smiled at him.

"I'm afraid drinks are not on the house." She said. "But let me get you a nice beer. It's the cheapest drink we have and, honestly, I doubt you could afford anything else." She turned to grab his drink.

The man, insulted by the slight, grabbed her wrist. "Don't you get mouthy me with me, girl. I'll break you in half." He said through gritted teeth.

Hancock's hands curled into fists when he saw the big oaf's hand tighten around Cap's wrist, his eyes narrowed into a slits as his anger boiled. Before he could strike out or utter a word, Evelyn's smile turned into a scowl. With a quick turn of her arm, she grabbed the rude customer's wrist, twisting it backwards. As he howled in pain, she grabbed a bottle of beer with her free hand and smashed it over the asshole's head, causing him to collapse face first into the bar.

The other two men quickly pulled out their guns, but were answered first by Twoey with his assault rifle at the neck of the one closest to the door. Anyone that was armed in the crowd pulled out their piece as well and pointed it at the small group of intruders.

Hancock looked around and smiled, his own shotgun resting on the temple of the leader of the newcomers. "You haven't been in Goodneighbor before, have ya? We take care of our own here." He said as a loud, painful moan rose from the injured man on the bar. "Ya might wanna take him out of here before he comes to and gets you all into more trouble."

The other two looked at one another and quickly collected their "boss" by the arms, dragging him out of the inn and straight out of the gate, his head bleeding from the attack. The room fell into an awkward stillness, everyone unsure if the party could, or should, continue.

Boomer jumped up on another table, a new drink in hand, a tissue stopping the blood from dripping out of his busted nose, and a smile on his face. "Ooooh…. I once knew a lass named Miss Lilly!" he started to sing and the crowd laughed as they joined in.

Evie wiped up the blood and glass from the bar, a smile back on her face. Hancock slid down the bar to where she was cleaning, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and the two glasses from before. He set the glasses down and filled them again. He handed one to her and smiled.

She took it and smirked before they took another shot.

The party was finally starting to die down in the wee hours of the morning. Drifters headed up to the third and fourth floors to take up empty rooms, directed by the sober Twoey and somewhat sober Cookie. Boomer had retired to his room with a drifter woman an hour or so before. Kent was sleeping soundly on a table in the dining room. Hancock was sitting at the far end of the bar, talking with Evelyn who was working on cleaning the glasses.

"So there I was, running from this deathclaw through the ruins, just hoping someone is at the gate to gun the fucker down." Hancock said, regaling her with a story. "Sure as shit, Fahrenheit is there, her mini gun out and at the ready. I slide through the door and she opens fire. Just lays the thing out. I don't know where I would be without her." He chuckled and finished the drink in his glass.

Cap chuckled. "Seems like she was made to watch over you." She said as she put the clean glass away.

Hancock chuckled. "Something like that." He replied and stayed silent for a second, trying to determine if he should ask the question he had on his mind. "Can I ask ya something?"

"Sure. Can't guarantee you'll get an answer though." She said with a smirk over her shoulder as she continued to tidy up.

"Why did you open this place? I mean, according to the radio broadcast, you were giving out free food and a place to sleep, though I'm sure that deal is just for the opening night, right?" He asked, tipping his hat backwards.

Evelyn didn't answer right away. "No, this place is going to be open to anyone that needs a place to stay, free of charge. You get a room, a bed, a safe place to sleep, and a free meal. No strings attached. The booze costs extra, but will be reasonably priced." She didn't turn around when she said this.

Hancock looked shocked. "Ok, so what's the catch? Cause there's no way you intend to keep this place running like that." He said again.

Cap turned to him and leaned her elbows on the bar, putting her weight into her arms. "What do you want outta life, Hancock?" The silence hung in the air for a minute. The mayor looked at her, unable to answer and unsure where this conversation was going. She continued. "Caps? Respect? Drugs?" Again he didn't respond.

"See, you get to focus on the 'want' in life. You have money and power, you have a roof over your head… You are luckier than a lot of people out here because you can focus on things beyond the next meal. And I'm not assuming it was always like that for you. What I'm saying is that, once you move someone beyond focusing on what they need, they can start seeing what they want in life.

People need food, water, shelter… A place to call home. Once they have that, they start to realize what life has to offer. Maybe they want to be a trader, or a farmer. Maybe they want to settle down and start a family. Maybe they want to become a raider, or get drugged up and die in the gutter. I don't care where their wants take them. What I want out of life is to help people, however I can, and it starts with a good meal and a place to sleep. From there, we can do bigger and better things." She said, then smiled and returned to stacking the glasses.

Hancock smiled after her. He still couldn't answer her question, but he didn't feel the need to. Not now. "I think we are going to get along just fine, sister." He said as he stood from the stool. "Well, I think I will turn in for the night. I'll be sure to stop by soon."

Cap looked over at him and nodded. "Anytime you'd like, Mayor." She winked and went back to her work.

Hancock tipped his hat to her and walked out.


	3. A New Job

Chapter Three: A New Job

* * *

 _ **Welcome to Chapter 3. As before, if you like this chapter or story, favorite it or write a review. I love seeing what people think about it so far. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Boomer woke up the next morning and walked down the stairs to the dining room. He groaned, holding his head as each step seemed to make it hurt more. His white shirt was unbuttoned, and his left boot was missing. He sat down on a stool and rested his head on his arms which were crossed on the bar in front of him.

Cookie smiled at him from behind the counter and set a glass of clean water in front of him. "How you feeling, Boom?"

Boomer grabbed the glass and took a sip before setting it down hard on the bar, spilling some of it. "Like a damn Brahmin kicked me in the head." He said, his eyes squinting against the sunlight from the windows. "I feel like I'm going to be sick. Probably from that slop you served yesterday."

Cookie huffed out a laugh. "Slop? You wouldn't stop eating it, saying, 'Damn, Cookie. You outdid yourself with this.' And then you'd take another shot."

"Ugh… Don't mention shots. For the love of all things holy, never bring up alcohol again…" The explosives expert started to button up his shirt and looked around, his eyes getting used to the sunshine. "Where is everyone?"

The dining room was empty and back in order after the wild night before, minus one broken table, of course. Cookie shrugged. "Twoey left an hour or so ago to get some more food. We are almost out after last night. And Cap is outside having a smoke."

"Well, I had better go see her. See what she wants me to do today." He said and stood up from the stool, which he immediately regretted. With a wobble, he sat back down heavily. "Ya know what? I'll take some breakfast. Probably better if I am full before I go see her."

Cookie rolled his eyes with a smirk and walked into the kitchen to get him something to eat.

* * *

Cap was outside, leaning against the wall to the left of the red doors of the inn. She watched the people of Goodneighbor go about their business, many of them stopping to thank her for the food and drink at the party the night before. She would nod and smile in response before they left.

Ryan walked around the corner, having gotten up early to resupply before heading back out into the wastes. He saw Cap and leaned against the wall next to her.

"Morning, VB." Cap said, letting out a trail of smoke.

"Morning Cap. Fun party last night." He said with a smile. "How's Boomer holding up?"

"Hung over, I'd imagine. But nothing serious. Could have been worse with that little scuffle." She said and sighed. "That boy is going to be the death of me. Mark my words." She placed the cigarette back into her mouth. She offered one to Ryan, who passed with a wave of his hand. "So, how goes the search for your son? Any leads?"

"Yeah… well kind of. I went to try to get help from this detective. Nick Valentine. You heard of him before?" Ryan asked.

Cap nodded. "Yeah. I think I ran into him when I was a kid. I visited Diamond City once. Seemed like a nice guy. Had the whole robot-face thing going on, so I bet that was a shock for ya." She smirked.

"You could say that. He was working a case and got caught by some mobster. They were using this old, unfished vault as a base. Anyway, I shot my way through and got him out. Took out the mob boss too. Some 'Skinny Malone' guy. It didn't seem to sit right with Nick that I took out Malone, but beggars can't be choosers, right?" Ryan said, which made Cap look at him. She wouldn't have guessed VB would talk so nonchalantly about taking human lives, but she had seen worse in the wastes. Much worse.

"Yeah. I guess not. Anyway, did Valentine say he would help you?" She asked.

"Yup. I am on my way back to Diamond City to talk to him about what happened when I was in Vault 111." He continued. "Hope he can help. I'm worried about my son. I keep thinking… what if he is hurt, or… or worse."

Cap finished her smoke and stubbed it out on the brick exterior of the building. "The best thing to do is not think about the what-ifs. What you need to do is stay focused on finding him, then cross those other bridges when you come to 'em." She said with a kind smile to him.

Ryan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, you are probably right." He looked into her eyes for a moment and his smile widened. _She is lovely…_ he thought to himself. _Kind, beautiful, smart, funny… When this is all over and I find Shaun, maybe we can set up in Goodneighbor._

Cap was getting a little uncomfortable with the silence and was glad when it was interrupted by a frantic looking woman who ran up to them. "Please! You have to help me!" She said, panicked, looking right at Evelyn.

"Slow down. Take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong." She said, standing up straight from the wall.

"They took him. They… I don't know who, but my husband is missing!" She said, her eyes wide with fear.

Ryan looked concerned and took a few steps away. "Looks like you have some work to do. I'll stop by once I know more from the detective, ok?" He turned to leave to give them space.

Cap nodded and waved to him. "Good luck, VB. Stay safe, alright?" She said before she opened the door for the woman. "Come inside. Let's hear what happened."

* * *

Cap walked the woman into the dining room and sat her down on a chair. "Cookie, a glass of water for the lady please."

Cookie nodded and went to get a glass. Boomer looked over at the woman, a piece of razorgrain bread in his mouth.

Cap pulled up a chair next to her. "Alright, start from the beginning for me." She said as Cookie delivered the water and walked back to the bar, unsure how the woman's delicate state of mind would handle a ghoul nearby.

The woman took a sip of water and sucked in a deep breath. "My husband, Richard, he likes to go to the Third Rail and watch that Magnolia sing. He drinks too much, then comes home and passes out on the couch. This happens more often then he'd like to admit. Well, two nights ago, he went to the Rail and never came back. I figured he just passed out down there, maybe in the VIP lounge. It wouldn't be the first time, ya know? Except he didn't come back at all yesterday, and last night there was still no sign of him.

I went to check it out, but the only people down there were a ghoul or two, and that Charlie robot. When I asked him where my husband was, he said that Richard passed out and a few 'blokes' offered to carry him home. Well, those blokes finally contacted me this morning. I got a letter saying that they will kill him unless I pay this ransom!" The woman's eyes filled with tears as she pulled out a crumpled letter. She handed it to Cap, who looked it over. In almost illegible handwriting, the note demanded 2,000 caps and listed a meeting place where they could be delivered, a place near College Square.

As Cap was reading it over, the woman grabbed her hand lightly, causing the mercenary captain to look up into the watering eyes of a possible soon-to-be widow. "He's not perfect… but he's my husband. I would do anything to get him back. But I don't have that kind of money… And I'm afraid to get a loan from Mayor Hancock. One of the drifters that came here last night told me that you would help me. Please… promise me that you can help."

Cap nodded and folded the note up. "Yeah, we'll take the job. Could use the work." She smiled. "Cookie! Get the lady some breakfast. Once Twoey gets back, we will suit up and head out. And see if Kent can keep an eye on the place while we are gone."

* * *

"It should be… this way." Boomer said, his head buried behind a map of the Commonwealth. He pointed in the direction that they had just came from, causing the rest of his group to groan.

"We are walking in God damn circles!" Twoey growled in a low voice. He shouldered his rifle and walked to take a look at the map, though he wasn't much better at navigating then his hung over friend. As they both studied the map, Cap and Cookie kept watch. Standing in the middle of the ruins of Boston was not the smartest idea, especially when two people were making such a commotion.

Over the name calling between them, Cap heard the distinct _rat-tat-tat_ of gunfire, followed by the sounds of an energy weapon. The others heard it seconds after her as she started to walk in that direction. "Come along, boys…" She said and quickened her pace, Cookie right behind her.

As Twoey turned to follow, Boomer looked at the map again with a smile. "I think that's the way we need to go anyway!" He said after them, folding the map to put it away.

"Enough with the damn map, Boom! Come on!" Cookie called back as his friend was getting left behind.

* * *

"Take that, you sons of bitches!" Knight Rhys shouted as he unloaded his 10mm pistol at an oncoming feral, who hissed and gnashed it's teeth at him. It sank to the ground after a well-placed shot pierced its head.

To his right, Paladin Danse was firing at another feral ghoul, his suit of Power Armor shining in the low light of the setting sun. "God damn it! Where the hell are they coming from?!" He seethed through gritted teeth. One of his squad had already been taken down by these freaks. If they didn't stop the swarm soon, they would all perish.

"Rhys, look out!" Scribe Haylen shouted, pointing at two ferals off to the knight's left. The zombie like creatures reached the knight too quickly, sinking their teeth through his orange jumpsuit and into the left side of his abdomen. He shouted in pain as Haylen aimed her laser pistol at the ghouls and fired, turning them into piles of ash.

"Haylen, pull Rhys back!" Danse ordered, which Haylen did with some difficulty, as Rhys was much larger than she was. As she got to the top, she propped Rhys against the brick wall of the police station and started to bandage the bite wounds.

Danse turned to continue firing at the advancing enemy. "Ammo check! How many rounds do we have?" He asked over the sound of his laser rifle.

"Not much sir. Maybe…. 20 rounds... maybe some more inside, I dont know." She said nervously. She knew Danse would fight for as long as he could breath in order to protect them. But she didn't know how much longer they could defend this spot. And there was no where else to run but inside.

"Damn it…" Danse said under his breath and kept fighting. He couldn't see an end to the horde of undead mutants rushing at him and his team. As he was reloading his weapon, he heard the unmistakable growl of a feral ghoul within close proximity of him, ready to attack. He looked up just in time to see the creatures head get blown clean off of its body. He looked to the left side of the fortifications to see a woman in black with a sniper rifle to her eye, aiming at the spot where the ghoul stood just moments before.

"Twoey, Cookie, take the other two entrance ways of the fortifications. Boomer, up top. Clear out the larger groups." Cap commanded as she took the left entrance way. The group of four started to open fire on the ghouls, cleaning them out. From the walkway overlooking the area beyond of the steel fortifications, Boomer loaded a missile into the launcher and took aim.

"Fire in the hole!" He shouted with glee and fired a missile, hitting a pre-war car.

"You missed!" Twoey said with a chuckle. He was enjoying every second of this as he mowed down the monsters with his assault rifle.

"Wait for it….." Boomer said, holding up a finger, though none of the mercs could really see him. After a few seconds, the fusion vehicle exploded into a fiery blast, taking out a group of seven ferals. "BOOM! Ha! Take that, ya damn flesh eaters!" He said and loaded another round into the chamber.

"Boomer! 11:00. In the building. Looks like that is where they are coming from!" Cap shouted, pulling out a .45 pistol and firing at the ghouls who were too close for her to use her rifle against.

"On it!" Boomer called back and fired the round at the doorway, causing the crumbling building to collapse from the explosion. "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" he exclaimed over the sound of the bricks and stones falling to the ground. He looked at his team below. "That... that was a work of art right there."

After a few more shots, the ferals were wiped out. Cap turned from her post and walked to the stunned Paladin, who stood at the bottom of the stairs which lead up to the doors of the station. Cap swung the sniper rifle over her shoulder and stood before the man in armor, who towered over her. "Sounces like you were in some trouble." She said with a smile.


	4. Meeting the Brotherhood

**Chapter 4: Meeting the Brotherhood**

* * *

 **Can't believe we are at Chapter 4 already, but there is quite a bit more to go. I wanted to also let you know that there is a point during the interaction with the Brotherhood in this chapter that I wish I could have done in the game. Can you figure out which part?**

 **Also, thank you to those leaving reviews. Keep them coming!** **I wanted to quickly respond to Ridley before I get on with the chapter, as I couldn't respond back to the review. Send me a message with more about your OC. I have much of the story planned out and parts are already written, but who know what I can work in. :)**

 **Thanks and Enjoy!**

* * *

Danse couldn't believe a team outside of the Brotherhood could pull off a defense like what he just witnessed. To take on a horde of feral ghouls, and to not get a scratch on them was very impressive. He looked at the assembled team and then to Cap, as she had been the one to first address him. "Thank you for your assistance, citizen. Seems like your timing is impeccable."

"I'd say. Few more minutes and you would have all been ghoul food, no offense Cookie." Boomer chimed in, looking down at them from his perch on the scaffolding. He jumped from the upper level to join the group.

Cookie shrugged. "None taken." He said in his normal gruff tone. He looked at the Paladin chuckled. "Haven't seen the Brotherhood since we left the Capital Wasteland." He added as he walked to stand at Cap's side. Twoey stood behind the Cap, his gun still at the ready.

"What would the Brotherhood of Steel be doing way out here?" Cap asked, tilting her head, questioningly.

"Our mission is classified, though I am surprised locals like yourselves are familiar with the Brotherhood. Which settlement are you from?" Danse inquired.

"Come on now, Paladin. You answer my question, and I answer your's." Cap replied.

Danse huffed, but let out a sigh. "We are in the Commonwealth looking for signs of the Institute. We are to report any evidence of their involvement in the Commonwealth. We were trying to make contact with our main force by using a radio tower on the roof of this building when we were attacked. "

"Sir. If I may?" Scribe Haylen spoke up, her delicate features looked tired and worn out under the hood that she wore. She fixed her hat as she spoke, the padded vest, pants and long sleeve shirt looked uncomfortable, even in this cool weather.

"Proceed, Haylen." Danse said, looking over his shoulder at her.

"What, do they have to ask for permission to wipe their asses too?" Boomer asked under his breath to Twoey, who nudged him to be quiet, but smiled at the joke.

Haylen continued, "Sir, if we can boost the signal, we should still be able to reach the Prydwin. And I think I know where we can find some tech nearby that can make it possible."

"Good work, Haylen. Get Rhys inside. We will regroup and work out a plan of attack." Danse said with a nod in agreement. He turned his attention back to the mercenaries. "Why don't you come inside and sit for a moment? After that fight, I'm sure you could use a break."

Cap looked at her team, who nodded, a motion that told her they could use a rest. "Lead on, then." She replied with a smile.

The group started to head into the police station, Scribe Haylen pulling the knight in the orange jumpsuit off of the ground and draping his arm over her shoulder to get him inside. As he could tell that she was struggling and almost dropped the wounded man, Cookie rushed to them and caught Rhys' arm, attempting to put it over his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll help ya get him inside."

"Get away from me, you disgusting freak." Rhys said, pushing the helpful ghoul away from him.

Scribe Haylen smiled sadly at Cookie. "Sorry. I got him. Thanks though." She said politely and brought Rhys towards the door.

Cookie smiled after Haylen. "At least let me hold the door for you." He said. The woman nodded in thanks and walked in, Cookie's white eyes following her as she did so.

Boomer walked in afterwards the scribe. He looked at Haylen then back at Cookie as he passed through the open door and bounced his eyebrows with a winked to his ghoul companion. Cookie growled at him and pushed him away. Twoey followed the laughing Boomer into the station. Cap took the door and let Cookie and Danse go in before she crossed the threshold.

Cap closed the doors to the police station behind her and proceeded inside the main foyer. She followed Danse to the receptionist area, which was now used as a weapons and ammo dump. She spoke to the Paladin while the rest of her team started to get comfortable.

Cookie took a look around, entering some of the back rooms, only to find debris and junk thrown about everywhere. The only room that was cleared out, for the most part, was a side room where Haylen was taking care of Rhys, joking that she probably would need to put him down. "You're all heart doc." The knight joked back.

The ghoul decided not to bring up hostility and avoided entering the makeshift infirmary, and Rhys. He joined Twoey and Boomer, who stayed in the main entrance room, Twoey leaning against the crumbling plaster wall, keeping an eye on the Paladin.

A few minutes later, Rhys was back on his feet thanks to stimpacks and a few stitches. He walked out of the room where he had received treatment and looked over at the hodgepodge group of mercenaries. "What they hell are you all still doing here? I'd figured you would take whatever payment the Paladin gave you for your work and run."

"Easy there crew cut. We are just taking a breather before heading out. Saving a whole Brotherhood squad takes alot outta ya, ya know." Boomer replied meanly, turning to look at the jarhead. He squared his shoulders off to confront Rhys.

Boomer hated the Brotherhood. While living in the Capital Wasteland, they strong-armed people, and pushed their weight around to get whatever they deemed worthy of taking. He saw teams of power armor clad knights attack settlements to bring "dangerous tech" under their control. So when Rhys started to pick a fight, Boomer was all too ready to jump on the chance to attack.

Rhys took three steps towards Boomer, challenging him. "Better keep your mouth shut, scumbag. You're nothing more than raiders with an agenda. I've seen your type before. You'll do anything for caps. You stand for nothing."

Boomer walked the rest of the distance, standing almost nose to nose with the Brotherhood knight. "And what do you stand for, hm? Did it hurt when they took your free will and ability to think for yourself? Or did ya just bend over and take it like a bitch?"

Twoey's smile spread across his face. His disdain for the Brotherhood was almost as deep as Boomer's, so he didn't lift a finger to stop his teammate.

When Rhys' smug smile changed to a scowl, Cookie ran between them. "Alright, enough. Cool it Boomer." He said, his hands on Boomers chest, pushing him back.

"Yeah. Listen to your ugly little boyfriend. It's funny that the mindless monster here is the one with the most brains in your entire outfit." Rhys shot back past the ghouls head, the insult felt by each of the mercenaries. Haylen was about to stop Rhys or scold him. Before she could, the mild-mannered Cookie curled his right hand into a fist, turned his body, and swung all of his weight into a punch that connected with the knight's nose.

Rhys reeled back from the hit, holding his face as blood ran from his nose. Boomer broke out into a fit of laughter, patting Cookie on the back before the familiar tone from a disapproving Cap rang clear through the room. "Boomer! Cookie! Back off!"

"Stand down, Rhys!" Danse shouted back as the two walked towards the commotion. Cookie was still glaring hotly at his beaten opponent, but his expression softened when his eyes met Haylen's, as she stifled a giggle behind her hand. Cookie smiled slightly before he turned to Cap, who was waiting for an answer.

"He started it, Cap." Cookie responded with a shrug.

Evelyn sighed. "Let's go. I think we overstayed our welcome." She said and her team picked up their gear. "Thank you for letting us rest for a few minutes, Paladin Danse."

"The offer still stands, Captain." He added quickly as she swung her sniper rifle over her shoulder and started to lead her team out.

Cap stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "No, it doesn't. The Brotherhood is not my idea of a group I can support. People like your knight there are shining examples of why me and my team will never join such a bigoted organization." With that, she followed her team out the doors.

Once outside, Cookie sheepishly grumbled an apology to Evelyn, who smiled in response. "If you hadn't done it, I probably would have." She patted the ghoul on the shoulder and they continued on to college square for their meeting.

* * *

The group of raiders that the mercs were after had taken up temporary residence in a coffee shop near College Square. They had cleared out the feral ghouls in the area for the time being. As three of the mercenaries approached the hive of raiders, the two raiders on the outside of the building raised their weapons.

"You got a reason for being here?" A skinny raider asked, his face twitching, clearly high on Jet.

Twoey took a step forward and held up a wooden box that had tape wrapped around it. "Yeah. You got something I'm supposed to pick up. Something you took from Goodneighbor." His face was set in stone and he looked at the raider showing no emotion.

The man lowered his gun and smiled. "Boss! Your caps are here!" He shouted to the building behind him.

Through the broken glass windows of the store front, Twoey, Boomer and Cookie counted about nine raiders inside, including a hulking figure in plated armor. The massive man walked out the front door of the shop, a huge smile on his face.

"Can't believe the bitch got all of the caps! 2,000, right big guy?" The leader of the raiders walked confidently out into the open, eyeing the mercs that were there to make the exchange. He addressed Twoey, but took note of the big rocket launcher on Boomers back, and the ghoul that they traveled with.

"Yup. Where is the package?" Twoey asked.

The leader whistled sharply. Two more men in raider gear dragged a third out of the shop. Mr. Richard Grady was in a dirty, grey, pre-war suit that was ripped in places from his captivity. He looked up at the mercs, showing off two black eyes and bruises on his face. "This the guy you are looking for?" The heavily armored raider asked.

Twoey nodded. "Yup. Looks like it." He held out the box. "Let him go first and then you get this."

The boss nodded and motioned with his head for Richard to start walking. "Been real fun Grady. Make sure you buy another round next time we are in Goodneighbor, yeah?"

"Screw you…." Richard said, but under his breath. He stood next to Boomer.

"When I say run, you get behind that car back there, got it?" Boomer whispered to Richard as he stopped beside the merc.

Grady looked to his left and saw the car. "Got it." He replied softly.

Twoey put the box into the raider's outstretched hand. "There you go. We good?"

"Not so fast… need to count it. Make sure I'm not getting scammed." He said as he started messing with the tape, trying to open it. As he did so, Twoey took a few steps backwards, trying to seem nonchalant about it.

"Don't you m-move!" The twitchy guard who greeted them on arrival said, raising his gun at Twoey.

Twoey looked at him and sighed. "Screw it." He said and rolled his shoulders.

In an instant, a shot glided through the air, lodging itself into the box and setting off the explosives inside, blowing the leader's face off. Twoey took a step back to avoid the blowback of the explosion and swung his rifle out. He took a shot at the Jet head, piercing his neck as another sniper shot blasted a hole through the skull of a knife-wielding enemy, who got within three feet of the big merc.

"Run!" Boomer said, pushing Richard towards the car. The hostage slid into cover as Cookie blew a hole in the closest raiders chest. He then charged towards the building, pumping more shotgun rounds into the raiders.

Boomer stood near the car and shot anyone that came close to himself or Grady with his pistol. With his team in front of him, using the rocket launcher would do more harm than good.

Within another minute, Twoey and Cookie had cleaned up the rest of the gang, making quick work of any stragglers. They regrouped by the car, Twoey bleeding from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. "Everyone alright?" He asked in his deep voice.

Richard nodded, shaking from all of the action. "You… Thank you… I. I thought I was done for. I didn't think my wife could come up with that kind of money."

"Well, she better come up with something by the time we get back to Goodneighbor." Boomer said, holstering his gun. He waved to what looked like an empty building. "We don't do jobs for free, you know."

Richard looked at him, nervously. "And what happens to people that don't pay?" He asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Cookie shrugged. "We always figure something out. Come on. The Cap is waiting. And I could use a drink when we get home."

* * *

"They should be back by now?" Mrs. Grady said, wringing her hands as she paced the street outside of the Maiden's Inn. "They have been gone for hours now."

"It's k-kind of a long hike, Mary. Give 'em some time." Kent said. Mary had been wandering around inside the Inn since Cap and her team had left. It started to drive him nuts, so he suggested that they go outside for some fresh air.

"What if they don't come back? I mean… I didn't give that woman any caps. How is she going to get Richard out?" She asked, more to herself.

"He'll b-be fine. Trust me. If there's one person that knows how to handle raiders, it's Cap." The ghoul replied, tilting his fedora back. A smile broke across his ghoul face as he leaned against the brick wall. "I bet they are on their way back right now. With your husb-band."

Mary Grady sighed heavily and wiped away another tear. "I hope you're right…"

As he was about to continue to try to calm her down, he heard the faint sound of the metal door to Goodneighbor open. A moment or two later, the rescuers turned the corner with Richard among them. Kent smiled. _She's like a real superhero…_ He thought to himself. _Like Mistress of Mystery!_

Mary's hands shot to her mouth as she saw Richard walk in. He smiled at her and she ran into his arms, hugging him tight and crying into his shoulder. "Oh god… I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, lamb. I'm here. I'm ok." He said softly to her and held her close.

After a long hug, she let go of him and wiped her eyes, smiling from ear to ear. She turned to Cap and the others. "Thank you. Thank you all so much." She said. "I… I can never repay you for what you did for us."

"Never repay us? Well, could ya try anyway?." Boomer said, only half joking.

Cap shot him a hard look and he backed off a bit. "I'm glad we were able to get him out of there." She said with a smile. "No more Third Rail visits for a while, alright?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. Maybe never again." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Look… we don't have much to offer as a reward. We do alright with what little trading we do, but… we don't have much to spare. Would… 100 caps do?"

Cap thought for a minute. "Trade, you say? I didn't know you were a trader."

Mary nodded. "Yes. Richard knows more than a few caravans that travel through Goodneighbor. He makes deals with them all the time."

Cookie smiled. "We could use a steady supply of food for the inn."

"My thoughts exactly. I tell you what, Grady. You find me a caravan that will give us a good deal on food, and we will say that your debt to us is square." Cap continued, making Boomer huff in disapproval.

"Really? I mean… of course! I can do that. Give me a few days for another caravan to come through and I'll take care of it." Richard said, eager to help them.

"Then it's settled. Now, I think we all could use some rest. Take good care of him, alright?" Evelyn said to Mary, who smiled and put her arm around his waist.

"I will. Thank you. All of you. It's good to know that there are still some decent people out here." Mrs. Grady started to walk away with her husband, heading home. Cap turned towards the door to see Kent there.

"Hey Kent. The place give you any trouble?" She asked as she went to open the doors.

"Nope. No trouble. No one really came by, honestly." He said, following her in. "Well, no one except Mayor Hancock."

Cap threw her gear bag on a table and sighed, happily. As many bad memories this place gave her, it still was great to come home. "Mayor Hancock? What did he want?" Kent looked like he wanted to reply to her but he was cut off by Boomer.

"Probably came to make more gooey eyes at you, Cap." He said, falling into a chair and kicking his feet up after setting his gear down on the floor. "As drunk as I was at the party, even I could tell the guys has a thing for ya."

Evelyn waved it off. "From what I hear, he makes those eyes to anything with two legs and tits." She smirked and stretched.

"I don't know boss… He seemed to really like ya. Didn't leave the bar at all that night. Just kept hoggin' your attention." Cookie piped in with his opinion, pouring some water.

"Get some food started, would you? I'm going to go get changed." She turned to walk upstairs.

"C-cap… Mayor Hancock is still here. H-he said he wanted to see the view from the roof. Said he hadn't been up there in y-years. I didn't see a problem with it, so he went up there. Probably about ten minutes before you guys got back to town." Kent said quickly before Evelyn made it up the stairs.

She stopped at the bottom step to listen to him. She sighed again and nodded. "Thanks. I will go see him then." She started the climb up to the roof. "Feel free to stay for dinner, Kent!" She called down. _Hadn't been up there in years…_ She thought to herself.

Reaching the door to the roof, she pushed it open and walked out, something she had been avoiding since they arrived at Goodneighbor.


	5. The Past Makes the Present

**Chapter 5: The Past Makes the Present**

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the delay in posts. Been a crazy few days. This chapter will start to set up where this story is heading. Less action, but some backstory and character details. Plus, a lead in for my favorite side mission in Fallout 4.**_

 _ **As always, keep those reviews coming. Let me know what you think about it so far. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Hancock looked down at Goodneighbor from his perch atop the inn. This town was his little oasis, a peaceful community where everyone was welcome. It didn't matter if you were a synth or a super mutant, so long as you played nice with the other kids in the neighborhood. Swinging his legs over the ledge, he sat down with his feet hanging. Memories of his past started to invade his thoughts, flash backs of his life before he took this town, before he was a ghoul, before he lost the person he cared for more than anything in this entire wasteland.

He heard the door open behind him and he looked over to see Cap climbing the stairs into the moonlight. He smiled and said, in his deep gruff voice, "Well? What took you so long? You find him or what?"

Cap smiled and walked to the edge of the roof, leaning next to him on her elbows. She nodded to him. "Had a run in with the Brotherhood of Steel though. Didn't know there were any of them way out here."

"Brotherhood? Hm." Hancock thought for a second. "They aren't normally seen around here much, honestly. I have a bad feeling about that…"

Cap shrugged and joined him by hanging her feet over the edge, having a seat next to him. "I think I'm more curious about the reason why the mayor of Goodneighbor is on my roof." She continued.

Hancock huffed out a laugh. "Thinking. Remembering." He said in a softer tone.

"Well, that's vague. Care to elaborate, oh man of mystery?" She joked and smiled for him.

"I was thinking back on when I first came to town. Some asshole named Vic ran the town for I don't know how long before that." Hancock's smiled shifted to a scowl. "Used us drifters like his own personal piggy back. He had this… goon squad he used to keep people in line. Every so often, he'd let them off the leash, and blow off some steam on the populace at large. Those with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters, we got it bad. Until this one night, when we had a little guardian angel." He popped a smoke into his lips and lit it.

Cap's eyes were locked onto his face, staring wide eyed. She knew this story, but how the hell did HE know this story. "Who… who is this person?"

"Was." He corrected her. "Who was this person." He sighed and pointed down at a bench just below them, which sat right in front of the Inn's doors. "I remember sitting there, enjoying a Mentat or two, when Vic's boys started to make some noise. Some went to the Third Rail to start the night off by getting hammered, while others just started to drink in the streets. We all knew what was coming. Everyone in town started to prepare, and drifters started to find hiding spots wherever we could, but… it wouldn't help us in the long run. We all knew that. I stood up to see what I could do for myself when this building's doors opened." He patted the roof of the Maiden Inn.

"I had seen her around town before. Her name was Ev, or at least that's what the town called her. She was the owner's daughter. Nineteen years old. Beautiful girl, like her mom. Her mother was a chem head and barely did anything around the place. She was also Vic's main girl, so she was barely ever at the Inn anyway.

Ev looks at me, as I'm staring at her, and she shouts out for me to round up all of the drifters and bring them inside. I quickly ran from make-shift home to bed roll and instructed everyone I could see to go to the inn. After most were safely inside, I ran in just as Vic's boys rounded the corner to hit the town. Ev locked the doors quickly and peered out the window.

No matter how hard those goons banged on the door, Ev wouldn't open them. Through the threats and everything, she stayed staunch on defending everyone. I was... in awe. Here's a person who had no reason to take us all in, but she kept her rifle strapped to her back and kept everyone safe." He shook his head and closed his eyes with a sigh. Cap looked down below but stayed quiet so he could continue.

"That night, after everyone had dozed off, I came up here to clear my head. And there she was, sitting near the ledge." He pointed to a place not far from where they sat. "She was smoking and watching Vic's boys go to town on whomever was unlucky enough to be out that night. She was shaking bad, you could tell that she was scared. I sat next to her all night. Just talked about anything that came to mind; Her family, my family, what it would be like if Vic was never here… She became my closest friend I ever had after that.

For the next few months, I got to know her very well. We spent almost every day together. Hell, I even worked around the inn to help out. It was the best time of my life." He smiled at the memories as they played out in his mind.

Cap smiled and kicked her feet. "Seems like you had a thing going." She said and turned her head to look at him. He suddenly looked angry and his hands were clenched into fists. "Can I ask what happened to her?"

He threw the cigarette buff off the ledge. "She died. Killed by Vic's boys." He turned away from her and swung his legs back to the roof and proceeded towards the door that lead downstairs.

"Hancock." Cap called to him as she returned to the roof as well. He stopped and turned a bit to look at her. "I'm… I'm sorry you lost her. And I'm sorry I brought it up. I shou-"

The ghoul interrupted her with a smile. "No, I appreciate you listening to my sob story. See you soon, yeah?" He said, and walked through the door, closing it behind him.

Cap looked back out at the town with a sad smile on her face. Fate was a strange thing. Here she thought her Johnny wouldn't be on the roof waiting for her. What a surprise to see him exactly where she left him, albeit a bit different than she remembered.

* * *

The mercs spent a day or so recuperating from their run in with the Brotherhood and their fight with the raiders. Cap and Boomer were hard at work cleaning the next floor of debris to get more rooms opened for the public. Mary Grady had also agreed to help clean and take care of customers part time as a way to repay the team for saving her husband. Cookie was busy making sure those that stopped by were well fed, and Twoey was left to do the shopping.

While at Daisy's Discounts, a caravan had stopped by to unload some of their wares. The trader was discussing a settlement that needed help when Twoey had walked up to the counter.

"Yeah, some farm out in the wastes has been houndin' any passin' trader to spread the word that they need help. Some raiders have been harassin' 'em, I guess. The famer asked for the minutemen. Like they are even around anymore…" The trader said with a shake of his head.

Daisy sighed. "Well, I will let anyone who comes by know, but it might be a while before someone in Goodneighbor will lift a finger to help."

The trader thanked her for her fair prices for his gear and turned to leave, almost bumping into the large mercenary. He excused himself and walked around Twoey.

Twoey paid for the things that they needed at the Inn and walked back home. Upon entering, he saw Boomer relaxing at a table, reading a comic book. Cookie was at the bar serving a drink and Cap could be heard cleaning upstairs. "A settlement needs our help!" Twoey said with a smile.

Boomer looked at him, questioningly. "What? What are you talkin' about?"

Twoey put the purchases on the bar and pulled out a map. "Some Finch Farm has been attacked by raiders. I bet we could clear 'em out and get paid for it. Here, I'll mark it on the map." He said, pointing at the spot a fair distance from Goodneighbor as he rummaged through his coat for something to mark the map with.

Boomer walked over and looked at it. He smiled and seemed excited, until he remembered something. "I think Cap wants to stay here for a bit, get the rest of the Inn cleared out." He said with a defeated sigh. Then the gears started to turn in his head. "But… what if we go without Cap! She can stay back and work on cleaning out the inn, and we can do a little 'boys only' mission! We haven't done one of those in ages!"

Twoey was about to respond when Cap walked down the stairs. "What about a 'boys only' mission?"

Her second in command explained the situation and Boomer's suggestion to Cap, who thought about it for a second. "I don't know. You guys think you can handle it without me?" She asked with a smile.

Boomer's jaw dropped open in insult. "We can handle a group of raiders, boss. Come on… please?"

Cap laughed and nodded. "Alright. Twoey, you are in charge. Just make sure everyone comes back in one piece, alright? And if you run into any Minutemen, see what you can learn about what happened to them. They used to be a force to be reckoned with when I was young. See if you can learn why that's not the case anymore." She said.

Boomer shouted in excitement and ran to get his gear, followed by Cookie and Twoey. Within an hour, the group was ready and made their way out the door just as Kent was walking in. With a quick hello, the three were on their way to Finch Farms.

Kent walked to the bar where Cap was pouring herself a drink. There were a few other customers in the dining room, but the place was fairly quiet. He sat on a stool and smiled. "Hey Cap."

"Hey Kenty-boy. How's my favorite radio announcer?" Cap asked and offered him a drink, which he declined.

"I'm ok. I, um… I have a favor to ask of you." Kent said in a hushed tone.

"Sure! After all the help you gave us over the past few days, I think I owe you one or two." She said. "What do you need?"

Kent looked around to make sure none of the other guests were listening. "I am working on something big, but in order to make it all work, I need something from the Hubris Comics building a few blocks away. There is a Silver Shroud costume there. It's the last piece I need to put my plan together. Think you could get it for me?"

"You are being awfully secretive. What's this big plan?" Cap asked, with a questioningly look on her face.

"I can't tell you now, Cap. We can talk again once you have the costume." He whispered back to her and stood up. "When you have it, come see me at the Memory Den. See you soon, alright?" He asked and started towards the door.

Cap smiled after him and sighed. "Curiosity killed the cat, I guess…" She said and asked Mary to watch the place. She carried her gun and some light provisions with her as she exited the inn. Since the comic shop was just a short walk away, she figured she wouldn't need all of her equipment.

She walked out the door and past the Third Rail, where Hancock was just leaving from. He waved to her, catching her attention. "And where are you off to?" He asked with a smirk.

"Off to do some comic book shopping." She said, shifting her rifle on her shoulder. "How's the bar?" She asked, motioning towards his establishment.

"Slow. Seems like a quiet night tonight." He looked up at the late afternoon sun. "Heading over to Hubris Comics, I take it? Care to be accompanied by an extremely handsome and deadly ghoul, by chance?" he asked, his smile widening.

Cap left. "Well, I can't turn that proposal down, can I? Come on, Mayor Hancock. Let's get this show on the road."

"I like the sound of that." He said and walked with her towards the gates. He held the door for her and they both left, in search of a superhero costume.


	6. Becoming a Hero

_**Chapter 6 – Becoming a Hero**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6 is finally ready to roll. Thank you for all of your patience. I know it has been a little while since Chapter 5 rolled out, but here is the next installment of the story. As always, please leave comments, and if you like the story, why not give it a favorite?**_

* * *

The feral ghoul growled and lurched itself at its target, its decaying limbs flailing wildly as it did so. Its eyes were barely more than slits and its mouth hung open, trying to take a bite out of one of its own. Before it could make contact, the blast from the shotgun replaced the creature's face with a bloody crater. It fell back into a pile of rags and flesh, nothing more than crow food now.

Hancock wiped the splatter from the barrel of his shotgun and shook his head at the fallen enemy before him. "They make it hard to imagine that they were ever human, don't that?" He said to Cap, who was busy mopping up the rest of the small pack of ghouls that were intent on making the pair their lunch.

"I always ask myself if they were around before the war… and how long it took for them to become… well… like that." Cap replied, pointing to the corpse in front of Hancock. "Makes me sad to think of how many people died. I mean, look at the size of these buildings! Can you imagine how many people lived here before the bombs? And there are countless cities across the country that are the same way. I don't know how prewar ghouls coped with the sheer magnitude of that kind of loss." She sighed and put her pistol away.

Hancock shrugged and put the shotgun back into the holster he wore across his back under his signature red coat. "I try not to think about it. Dwelling on shit like that is a good way to get yourself killed." He said and the traveling couple walked down the street towards Hubris comics. As they walked, Cap's words sank in. He hadn't really thought about it like that, but seeing the buildings of what was once Boston in their current state, he could almost feel the loss of life hanging on the dilapidated brick and mortar walls.

Cap smiled to him. "Anyway, I appreciate you coming along. Nice to have a traveling companion besides my team. They are great and all, but you can only say, 'Boomer, you can't blow it up so stop asking!' so many times before you feel like a broken record." She laughed as they rounded the corner to the street where the comic book shop was.

"You kiddin'? I'm glad you allowed me to come with ya. I was getting bored in Goodneighbor. Gotta stretch your legs once in a while, ya feel me?" He asked, keeping his eyes moving for potential threats. He glanced over at Cap, who didn't seem to be on edge at all. She was calm, collected, and didn't show an inkling of nervousness. She impressed the hell out of him. "What are we going to Hubris Comics for, anyway?" He asked.

"Well, I owed a friend a favor. Kent has been helping me out a lot and he as-" She was cut off by Hancock.

"Oh, not that damned costume. I swear, he doesn't know when to quit. He must have asked three of the Neighborhood Watch to help him not a month ago." John shook his head with a sigh. "What does he even want it for?"

Cap chuckled and shrugged. "Who knows? He's a good guy, though. And with all the time he has watched over the Inn for me and helped me around the place, I think I can spend some time getting it for him." She said as they approached their destination.

Cap looked up at the large statue standing tall near the entrance. The building's exterior was a sooty black color, as the brick was covered in some kind of blast material. The Hubris Comics sign still sat over the door. She looked to Hancock and then proceeded to the blue door before them. She opened it and held her hand out, gesturing him to enter first. "After you, esteemed Mayor Hancock." She said and bowed her head in mock respect and adoration.

Hancock fixed his jacket and made a grand entrance to match her presentation, a big grin on his face. Humor is what got people through a life in the Commonwealth. Cap followed him in and they both surveyed the room. The counter where the cash registers sat was covered with debris. The rest of the store was filled with book shelves that once held volumes of comic books and magazines. To the left and right were doors with signs that read "Employees only". The ceiling of the room was collapsed in the middle, providing a view of the second floor above them. A cardboard cutout of none other than the Silver Shroud sat prominently at the back of the store, bright lights shining on the hero.

Hancock proceeded to the counter to check for anything valuable or useful, while Cap went to check behind the bookshelves for any enemies, and tested the door on the far right to see if it could be opened. No such luck, as the door was locked. Pulling out a bobby pin, Cap started to fiddle with the lock as Hancock ran his hand over the cover of an issue of The Unstoppables. He let out a small chuckle and held it up, as Cap looked his way to see why he had laughed.

"Books and comics are a ghouls' best friend. Most people don't like to talk to us, so we have to find something to pass the time. Not that I have any trouble with that, personally." He said with a wink.

Cap was about to fire a witty remark back when a feral ghoul rolled off of the floor above them and fell amongst the bookshelves. Hancock glared and reached for his shotgun, but Cap shook her head, holding her finger to her lips, a sign for him to stay quiet. Pulling out a hunting knife, she walked up behind the feral ghoul as it was clambering to its feet and dug the knife into its skull, which had soften after decades of exposure to radiation. The feral growled but fell to the ground, motionless.

The pair stood still, looking and waiting for the rest of the ghouls that were no doubt in the building to rush in and attack. When none did, Cap made her way back over to Hancock. She pointed through the hole in the floor above, which yielded a view of the shuffling feet of zombie like ghouls moving about. "Looks like we have some monsters to clear out." She whispered with a smile.

Hancock nodded. "Remind me to thank Kenty boy when we get back to Goodneighbor." He said back, quietly. "What's the plan?"

"There's a stair case off to the left. I say, we sneak up the stairs, kick the door down and open fire until they all stop twitchin'." She replied with a smile that showed she was going to enjoy this.

Hancock matched her smile and nodded. "Then let's go show those pricks that they shoulda played dead a little longer." He said and followed Cap as she lead the way to the stairs.

At the top, the leader of the pair held up three fingers, counting down by lowering one at a time. Once her index finger folded to her palm, Cap opened the door in a rush and started to charge the left side of the floor, which was fairly open, due to the crumbling walls. Hancock, without a second command, took the right side of the floor, firing round after round into the thrashing human like creatures. Four, five, six… Hancock kept count on the number he wiped out as he proceeded to clear each room. He would occasionally check over his shoulder to make sure his partner was ok, only to find her dispatching another feral with her pistol or knife.

The pair met back up in the middle at the opposite side of the room, both a bit out of breath and covered in blood and grime splatter from their ruthless attacks. Cap smiled and made an airy laugh before putting her weapons away. "Seems like that's the last of 'em." She said and turned to the stairs that lead to the top floor. "And of course the costume is probably up there… Why did people back then put the most valuable stuff furthest from the door?"

Hancock shook his head with a smile. "Because they knew I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could. The further away our target is, the more I get to enjoy the view." He said to her.

"Oooh. Smooth, Mayor Hancock. But I don't think you are my type." She said and started to walk up the stairs, John following behind her.

"Not your type? Why not? I'm witty, charming, have excellent fashion sense, and I hear women dig the guy in charge. Am I missing something?" He asked, following her.

"You scare people." She said, still smiling but there was truth behind her words. "Mary, the wife of the guy we rescued? She said that she was too afraid to ask you for a loan. The amount of the ransom was high, but nothing that a man like you couldn't loan out to a wife in need. Why would she be afraid to ask for your help?"

Hancock shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. I mean, I woulda given her the money, and she could pay me back with interest."

"Why couldn't the neighborhood watch help her? The security in Goodneighbor is pretty damn strong. You mean that a small squad couldn't have helped to clean out those raiders and rescue one of their own? Hell, Grady was taken right out of your bar! That's bad for business, if nothing else." She replied as they made it to the top of the stairs.

The room that they entered appeared to be a scene from a movie or a television show. The camera was pointed at a cardboard backdrop of Boston, prewar. And standing in front of it was a mannequin with the costume that they were there to pick up draped upon it. Off to the right of where they were standing was the sound and lighting booth and a door leading to a dressing room could be seen off to the left.

"Hey, in Goodneighbor, everyone takes care of their own business, that includes defending what they got. The watch was put together to stop attacks on the whole town from Super Mutants, synths and any other baddies that try to interrupt our peaceful community. If I have my boys stop every crime and chem sale that I don't like, I'm no better than Vic using his muscle to put down the people." Hancock replied, defensively. He stopped at the top of the stairs as Cap continued into the room, his arms crossed and his temper rising.

Cap shrugged, figuring it was better to leave this topic alone for now, and approached the mannequin to take the costume. The Silver Shroud's iconic black fedora and trench coat with the silver lapels were relatively clean, which was surprising after all this time. The grey scarf, black pants and dress shoes were brushed off and stuffed into her bag. The hat she placed on her head.

As Cap was busy taking the costume, Hancock was checking the sound booth for anything of worth, trying to cool down from their conversation. She didn't really think that way about him did she? As the thoughts played out in his head, he flipped a switch, which turned on the spot light pointed at Cap. She turned around and smiled at him. She then tilted the hat down and pointed her index finger and thumb at him in the shape of a gun. "How do I look?" She asked.

Hancock smiled and his anger dissipated. In the bright lights, her face was like something out of a dream. "Beautiful." He said in a low voice, hoping she wouldn't hear.

"What was that?" She shouted back with a smile.

Hancock was about to make a joke, but his voice froze in his through. Two glowing green feet started to move, barely visible along the bottom of the cardboard backdrop. "Cap, Watch It!" He shouted, pointing.

Cap spun half way around before a feral ghoul that exuded a bright green glow let out a terrifying growl. It tackled her to the ground, the radioactive material coursing through its body seemed to almost drip from its skin as it tore at Cap. She held its face as far from her as possible, but the ghoul's teeth started to gnash generously close to her neck.

Hancock sprinted towards the creature and reached to pull him off of her as his traveling companion got her knees under the monster's stomach. She pushed hard, sending the ghoul sprawling on the ground in front of her. John pulled out his shotgun and shot two slugs into the thing's head, leaving nothing but green slime where its head used to be.

Worried, he turned to check on Cap, who was sitting up, breathing heavily, her eyes wide with shock. "Took ya…. Long enough…" She said in between gulps of air.

"You ok?" He asked and reached a hand down to help her up. When she took it and tried to stand, she yelped in pain and fell back to the ground, leaving a blood stain where her thigh was. "Shit…" Hancock growled under his breath and helped her to sit again, kneeling next to her.

"Must have got me when I fell." She said and looked at her blood soaked pant leg, which Hancock started to roll up to assess the damage. A large gash ran the length of her thigh, from her hip to her knee. As he looked the wound over, she reached into her bag and then groaned. "I forgot my stimpacks back at the inn… I doubted I would need them, since the comic book shop here is 'just a few blocks away'. " She shook her head at her own stupidity.

Hancock reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out some bandages and antiseptic. "When in doubt, use the old methods." He smiled to her and started to clean her wound. "This is going to sting a bit…" He said and poured the antiseptic onto the gash, which made Cap gasp and bite the sleeve of her jacket. He wiped the area clean and started to wrap it as quickly as possible to avoid hurting her. Once he was done, he fixed her pant leg and smiled.

"There. That wasn't so bad, hm?" He said, returning the unused bandages to his pockets. He stood and reached for her hand to help her up. This time, she was able to stand relatively well, despite the pain that still hit her leg.

"I'll take a stimpack over the old way of doing things any day." She said, but smiled at him. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, John. I appreciate the help." She said and started towards the stairs again. John was happy that ghoul skin couldn't show a change in blood flow, because as cliché as it was, his face would be redder than a tato.

* * *

Once they were back in Goodneighbor, Cap walked to Daisy's discounts and picked up an extra stimpack, injecting herself with it right away. The pain now gone from her thigh, she returned to John, who was leaning against a wall near the state house. "Well, I think we made a good team. Care to deliver the costume with me?"

Hancock shook his head. "Nah, that's ok. I would rather you have all the credit for it. Besides, whatever he pays you will most likely go to the people that need it anyway. Don't want a cut of that." He said, smiling to her. "Just make sure he doesn't send you into any more ghoul-infested buildings, ok?"

She chuckled. "Well, if he does, I know who to call, don't I?" With that, she turned to walk to the Memory Den, where Kent was busy running his radio show. Hancock watched her walk away and sighed with a dopey grin on his face before he walked into his home.

* * *

Evelyn knocked on the door and walked into Kent's room at the Memory Den. The memory pod, which clients used to relive past experiences and moments in their lives, hung open next to his small cot. Around the walls hung posters of the Silver Shroud and the rest of the Unstoppables, and a similar cardboard cutout of his favorite hero sat near his chair. The room was cramped, being this full. Cap made a note to offer him a room at the inn.

As she entered, Kent turned around and smiled at her. "Cap! You're back! Did you find it?"

Evelyn held out the Silver Shroud costume, folded neatly with the hat resting on top of the jacket. "One Genuine Silver Shroud costume. Complete with dashingly handsome fedora." She winked and smiled at him. Kent took it, his eyes wide with excitement.

"This is perfect! Now we can bring him back for real!" He said in a boyish tone.

"You are going to run around as the shroud?" She asked, concerned that he may be biting off more than he could chew with this scheme.

"Me? No way. I'm just not Silver Shroud material. But you… Cap, you would be a perfect Silver Shroud!" He said, meeting her eyes with a hopeful, puppy dog like begging expression. "So, will you do it? Will you don the costume and clean up the streets of Goodneighbor?"

"Isn't the Silver Shroud… a guy?" Cap asked, in hopes that it would somehow persuade Kent or change his mind.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you help people, you make sure everyone is safe. You already do the job, but now you get to wear the costume! See, by putting on the coat and hat, you become more than just a person fighting crime, you become a symbol of hope to everyone!" He replied.

Cap sighed heavily. "Well, what would being the Silver Shroud entail?" She inquired.

"You just have to go around town, defending the people that can't defend themselves. I'll let you know of the bad guys who need to meet justice herself, and you go take care of them. I made some… calling cards for you. Leave them behind when you fight crime and everyone will know that the Silver Shroud has returned." He held out cards that he drew with pictures of the Silver Shroud on them.

Cap looked from the cards to Kent. "Alright, I guess I get to be the Silver Shroud." She said, and took the cards and the costume.

"Great! Just tune into my radio and I'll let you know when justice needs to be dispatched! Time to fight crime!" Kent said in a bright voice, punching his fist into the air as Cap stuck the hat on her head, grudgingly. She knew that this wasn't going to end well.


	7. Jet Flashback

**Chapter 7 - Jet Flashback**

* * *

 **I wanted to include the Silver Shroud storyline in here, but I didn't want to go at it from the Shroud's point of view, as anyone who has played it knows what happens. So I want to write Cap's Shroud story from a few different points of view, namely Hancock, Kent and maybe even a few others. I hope you enjoy the next few chapters and as always, keep those comments and favorites coming.**

* * *

Hancock walked into the state house and sat down on one of the couches in his chem strewn greeting room. Grabbing a nearby Jet inhaler, the ghoul took a hit and felt his brain start to race, his eyes darting around the room as time seemed to slow to a crawl.

A few seconds later, the high started to dissipate and he realized Fahrenheit was looking at him sitting on one of the couches across from him. "Well? Care to tell me where you wandered off to?"

Hancock huffed out a chuckle. "Went for a little walk. Needed to stretch my legs. I made it back fine, didn't I? Stop worrying so much."

"You know, it might be nice to let your bodyguard know when you are planning a little trip out of town." She said and crossed her arms.

The mayor sighed. He knew this wasn't worth fighting over. "Sorry. Won't happen again." He said and leaned over to turn on the radio that sat on a table next to his couch. As he did so, he placed the inhaler between his lips once more to take another hit.

 _Friend of the Show jerry is here._

 _Is this thing on? Hello?_

 _It's On. * Knock Knock Knock.* We're recording in here. *Knock Knock* Awe man… *Pause* Great. Great! The Silver Shroud's dispatched justice already. Miss Selmy has been avenged._

 _Shit, the Shroud offed Wayne? Wait, so this guy's actually for real?_

 _Oh-ho! You better believe it. So Jerry, go on. Tell the listeners what we are talking about._

 _Right… So AJ, you know, the Chem dealer by Bobbi's?_ _He's doing good for himself. Says he's got a whole new market of kids. Even with his garbage chems, he's just raking in the caps._

 _Ya hear that? Sounds like the Silver Shroud has another bad guy to deal with._

 _Uh, why? This Shroud guy's gunna muscle in on the Chem trade now?_

 _No. He's gunna do somethin' about it._

Hancock listened to the conversation on the radio and chuckled. "Well, well… Either Kent is in two places at once, or someone decided to play superhero in town." He said, figuring he knew exactly who had donned that costume. He leaned back and took another hit of Jet.

"Taking out Delancy isn't the smartest idea." Fahrenheit said with a sigh, looking at the radio. "You know who he worked for right? And now this shroud character is going after AJ? That's two guys, working for the same asshole."

Hancock waved his hand, dismissing his bodyguard's fears. "Small fish, Fahr. I'm sure Delancy's boss doesn't give a shit about him." And with that, the ghoul closed his eyes to relax. Thanks to the jet, his mind drifted back to a time when he was still human; young, handsome, and naïve.

* * *

 **He opens his eyes and he sees the stars up above. He is laying on the roof of the Maiden Inn. He looks at his hands as he moves them in front of his face. Smooth, slightly tan and healthy. A smile crosses his lips as he feels pressure move on his stomach. Looking down, he sees the black hair of his girl. Her youthful smile lit up her face. Still a teenager, and perfect in every way. He smiles to her and she lays on her stomach. "Think this will last forever, John?" She asks him.**

* * *

Before he could respond back to her, he was ripped from his Jet fueled memory by another message crackling through on the radio, halting the current story with a Silver Shroud update.

 _The Silver Shroud's bringing justice to Goodneighbor! Bad guys better look out! And now a special update. The villainess Kendra was recently spotted at the Third Rail; the same Kendra who bombed little Joe's shack and killed four innocent drifters. If you want to see the Silver Shroud in action, stay near Whitechapel Charlie. The Shroud's sure to interrogate him to find the evildoers whereabouts._

"Delancy, AJ, and now this Shroud character is going after Kendra? Hancock, this is getting out of hand. Kent is going to get this guy killed. Sinjin isn't going to take this sort of thing lying down." Fahrenheit said, now looking upset that the Mayor seemed to be smiling about it.

"This could work out to Goodneighbor's advantage. Go tell Kent that I want a word with this… Silver Shroud guy… or girl. We can put this whole business to rest." Hancock replied and tilted his head back, hoping to slip back into his last memory.

* * *

 **He opens his eyes and there she is again. He runs his fingers through her hair, holding her close, when a series of loud gunshots ring out from the streets below. Vic's boys are at it again. But this time, the girl's kind eyes look like piercing daggers. The gang is making their way to her home, her Inn. She stood up and raced down the stairs, John following behind her.**

 **When he reaches the first floor, a group of drifters who are hiding out in the Inn cower in the corner of the dining room as big heavy fists pound on the door. The girl is nowhere to be seen. The door collapses inwards and the gang of men stomp their way inside. They grab all of the drifters and force them out into the streets. Two big hands grab ahold of John and throw him out the door.**

 **The gang taunts the drifters and push one woman to the ground, looming over her. Before John can say anything, the drifter to his left cries out, "Leave her alone!" Vic's boys turn to the young man and hit him over the head with a rifle, sending him sprawling to the cracked pavement. John freezes in fear, unable to move. Before his eyes, the gang lands punch after kick to the young drifters head. After a few short minutes, which feel like eons to those watching, the target of the gang's fury lay dead, his head open and bleeding.**

 **Johnny's face is white and his eyes burn, unable to blink. It isn't until one of the gang members speaks to him that he looks up from the corpse. "I said, you got a staring problem, Johnny boy?!" The goon says, laughing and steps towards John. He takes another step and then a gunshot rings out, crisp and clear in the night air. The big man's smile sinks on his face and he falls to his knees.**

 **All eyes move to the smoking barrel of a gun, held by his girl. She looks furious and her eyes are filled with hate. She points her gun at the rest of the ruffians doing harm to the good people of Goodneighbor. Knowing she can't take them all out, she runs towards the gates.**

 **The goon squad gives chase, shouting and shooting after her. Johnny tries to keep up, but is slow to respond because of the shock he is experiencing. The gate door closes after the last goon, and he stands, petrified, within the walls of the town. From the ruins, he hears whooping, hollering and gunfire. Then a round of cheers and the chant, "Take that you bitch!"**

* * *

Hancock lurched forward on his couch, sweating and gulping in deep breathes. He looked around to see himself alone in the room. He sighed in relief that no one else saw him in this state of mind and listened as the radio came to life with a new message.

 _Another headliner: Hancock seeks a special meeting with our hero, the Silver Shroud. Whatever it's about, be careful Shroud. We're all with you._

The mayor stood and walked to a sink where he turned the water on and splashed some on his face. The last flashback was too real, too painful. He needed to get past this. If he was going to be any help to Cap, aka the Silver Shroud, he was going to need to stay sharp.

A few minutes later, Hancock heard boots hitting the stairs, making their way towards his greeting room. He looked over from his couch and smiled. In walked Cap, clad in the Shroud costume they had rescued from the ghoul infested comic book shop. He stood to greet her. "Why am I not surprised that you are the one 'cleaning up the streets of Goodneighbor'?"

Cap chuckled. "Well, I think I look good in the costume and why not get rid of some people that no one wants around?" She said and winked.

Hancock chuckled. "Well, you might be taking out more than you bargained for." He said to her and his smile faltered a bit. "Look, Cap… these pricks you've been taking out all belong to the same asshole. And this asshole is planning some old fashioned revenge on you, ya dig? His name's Sinjin. He's taken two bit raider outfits and made them… scary. Small fish now, but in a few years, it might take an army to end him."

"Sounds like Sinjin needs to take a dirt nap then, doesn't he?" Cap said with a smile.

"My thoughts exactly." He said with a laugh. "I happen to know where two more of his boys are. Smiling Kate and Northy. Northy's just running scared, but Smiley? She's gathering a posse to take you down. But, if we take them out, I bet we can bring Sinjin out of hiding and finally put him down."

"Wait… we?" Cap asked and stood up, her smile widening.

"Yeah, I figured the Silver Shroud is going to need someone to watch her back so… I guess the devilishly handsome mayor will have to step in." He said and stood up as well. "What do ya say?"

"So…. You'd be my sidekick then?" She asked.

"No, I'd be your backup."

"Sounds like a sidekick to me. You could be my stalwart ghoul manservant!" She said and laughed.

"I'm sorry… your what?" Hancock asked, not getting the joke.

"Come, Argyle! We have some evildoers to put down!" Cap said using the best Silver Shroud voice she could muster.

* * *

Smiley stood before her gathered group of maniacs, waiting at their meeting point for the Silver Shroud. "So glad you could all come out and play! Sinjin wants the Shroud taken care of. Do whatever it takes to get rid of anyone with her but remember, I get to play with her so don't kill her!"

"Play with me? Somehow, I feel like I wouldn't like that…" Cap said, walking out of the alleyway, towards Smiling Kate. "This little party for me?"

"Well, if it isn't the woman behind the costume. You've been really naughty, Miss Shroud. Making all my friends so nervous with your calling cards. Taking out Sinjin's favorite toy soldiers. But now it's time to rip your God Damned heart out!" Smiling Kate raised her gun to shoot at Cap.

Cap quickly ducked behind a blown out car as the posse turned their guns to her, turning their backs to the alleyway behind them, where Hancock was waiting to strike. He rushed forward and started to unload his shotgun into their backs.

Cap rose up from her hiding spot through the confusion and started to place well aimed headshots with her combat rifle, the enemies being too close for a sniper rifle. The scuffle only lasted a few minutes and in the end, the pair walked from it unscathed.

Hancock started to loot the bodies of the raiders that accompanied Smiling Kate as Cap focused her attention on the lady in charge. She found a Holotape in one of the front pockets of Kate's armor and looked it over. "Found a tape… wonder what this crazy broad had to say." She said to Hancock.

Cap looked in some of the nearby buildings and found a working terminal in the back room of a shop. She popped it in and listened to the message. Meanwhile, Hancock finished looking for anything useful and made his way towards the shop where Cap was.

Evelyn rushed past him, almost jogging out of the shop. "Cap! What the hell is the rush?!" Hancock said, running to catch up to her. "What was on the tape?"

"They are going after Kent!" Cap shouted back, fire burning in her eyes as she broke out into a sprint towards Goodneighbor.


	8. What Would Rhett Rhinehart Do?

**Chapter 8: What Would Rhett Rhinehart Do?**

* * *

 ** _Sorry for the delay. Been a busy week or so leading up to the start of the holiday season. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I already have ideas for the sequel to this story. Stay tuned for a lot more to come with this one first, though. As always, please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me how you like the story so far, or give me a favorite or follow to keep up on new chapters._ **

* * *

"Hey Kent. Looks like Kendra is gone too. That Shroud is doing some damn good work." A man from the Neighborhood Watch said, standing at Kent's door in the Memory Den. "You tell him that he's alright in my book, alright?" He said and tipped his hat to Kent before leaving.

"Thanks Frank. Keep the updates coming!" Kent said to him as he walked away. He closed the door and turned back to his desk with the radio on it. He was smiling from ear to ear as he sat down in his chair and excitedly turned his radio on, his back towards the door. He felt like he was living in a comic book. His friend, his Hero, was fighting crime, making the world a better place. And he was the one helping, just like Rhett Rhinehart would do!

He turned on the radio and started to report on the most recent crime-fighting event. "This just in. Kendra's reign of terror is over! S-she won't be-" Kent's sentence was stopped when he heard gunshots ring out in the Memory Den. He turned to the closed door, his heart sinking into his stomach. Something bad was about to happen. "Oh God, what's happening?!" he said out loud, and jumped to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the door.

The door to his room was kicked open, and in walked a woman and two men, all clad in the signature mismatched armor and gear of raiders. They each pointed their guns ahead of them, directly at Kent.

"On your knees, dirtbag!" The woman growled through the hood she wore, made from a burlap sack. The two men lunged at Kent and grabbed him by the arms.

"What are you doin'?! Argh!" Kent struggled to get the men off of him as he was pushed to his knees beside his cot. His hands were forced behind his back and bound at his wrists. Kent continued to struggle until he heard the woman shout from the doorway "Sinjin. All clear."

Kent froze. _THE Sinjin? That's who they all worked for?_ The breath caught in his throat as a massive ghoul walked into the room. His sheer size rivaled that of a super mutant. He wore a dirty tan t-shirt and brown pants, with combat boots. He was well armed, just as his raider underlings were. To Kent, he was something out of a nightmare.

"So, this must be the Shroud's headquarters." Sinjin said, looking around the little room. Then his eyes locked onto Kent's, who shrunk away from the giant as he walked towards the shivering ghoul. Bending down so that his face was inches from Kent's, Sinjin continued. "And you must be the Shroud's little friend." He smiled at Kent.

"Y-Yes…" Kent said sheepishly, helpless to defend himself should something happen. He was shaking as he was unsure what they planned to do to him.

Sinjin looked at the radio and picked up the microphone. "If you want to see your friend alive, Shroud…. Meet me at Milton General Hospital."

 _That's what I am being used for? Bait?!_ Kent thought to himself. _Rhett Rhinehart would never want to lead the Shroud into a trap like this._ Mustering up what courage he could, Kent leaned towards the radio and shouted, "Don't do it Shroud! It's a trap! Save yourself!"

Sinjin looked back at his captive, glaring hotly at the cowardly ghoul, who met his eyes with a defiant stare. The gang leader pulled out a pistol and shot Kent through the knee. Kent howled in pain, before crying out, despite his previous act of courage, "Do it Shroud! Do it! Ah, my knee…" He leaned back and sat down, his knee bleeding through his pants.

"Tick tock, Shroud. Don't keep me waiting. We got business that needs finishing." Sinjin turned off the microphone and looked at the woman. "Avery, set that message to repeat. Don't want the Shroud to miss it." He looked at Kent, who's eyes were locked with the ground. He was shaking, terrified and now in severe pain. Sinjin smiled and looked to his goons. "Let's go." He said and made his way for the door. The raider to Kent's left connected a swift hit to his head, knocking the radio personality out cold.

* * *

Cap rushed into the Memory Den a few hours later, her face hard as stone and focused on the task at hand. Hancock moved swiftly to keep up with her. She was confronted by a worried Irma. The owner of the Memory Den rushed to the Silver Shroud and Hancock. "Oh, it's you! Oh suger. I just knew all this hero stuff was going to get you killed! Oh God… Oh God!"

"Calm down, Irma. Tell me what happened." Cap said, emotionless.

"They took him. Raiders, nothing but bloodlust in their eyes. We couldn't stop them." She said, and a look of sadness crossed her face. "They… They left you a message. Listen to Kent's radio station. It keeps playing over and over again." She turned to return to her seat, terribly nervous for Kent.

Cap walked to Kent's room and listened to the message. Hancock walked into the room and stood behind her. He liked Kent, and wanted to get him back just as much as anyone in Goodneighbor, but he knew Cap was not in a good state of mind right now. When the message had played out, Cap turned to him, her face a scowl. Without meeting his eyes, she walked past him and towards the door to the streets.

Once outside the Memory Den, Hancock grabbed her shoulder. "Whoa. Easy, beautiful. You need to clear you head. If you go bargin' in there like this, you are going to get yourself killed."

Cap pushed his hand off of her. "Oh? Am I? And what would you do, wait and see what piece of Kent Sinjin sends back in a box first? It's your fault he was taken in the first place!" She shouted, turning to him.

"Uh… Come again?" Hancock said, surprised at her claim. He looked at her through squinted eyes , "I wasn't the one whackin' Sinjin's goons, now was I?"

"How is it that another gang of raiders marched into town, shoots guns inside of the Memory Den, and ran out with a Goodneighbor citizen without your Neighborhood Watch doing a God damned thing?!" She said, rage dripping from every word. Hancock opened his mouth to defend himself, but she cut him off, continuing. "Let me tell you something, mayor. You think you are helping people here, but you just let them fend for themselves. Not everyone can defend themselves against all odds. You really want to help people? Start helping the little guy, and hurting those who have earned it."

Cap then spun away, walking towards the gate. Hancock started to follow, "Cap, I-"

"Stay here." She shot back at him. "I'll find Kent. I don't want you to come and get in my way." She said haughtily and slammed the gate door behind her, leaving Hancock stunned and standing in the streets alone.

* * *

Fahrenheit walked out of the state house. One of the Watch told her the mayor was out near KLEO's shop, and seemed pissed at something. Sure enough, the ghoul in the tricorn hat was leaning against a wall, his eyes locked with the gates, slowly smoking a cigarette. She walked over and leaned against the wall next to him.

"Having a staring contest with the gate?" She asked.

"Women are bat-shit crazy." He said back.

"Care to explain?" She said, smirking and lighting her own smoke.

"Cap and I took out those two targets, Smiling Kate and Northy. In the meantime, it seems that Sinjin made a visit to town. He took Kent. Cap looks like she is on a warpath, and starts making her way to the gate. I try to calm her down and she blames me for Kent being taken! Said that the watch should protect people in town better." He took a long drag on the cig before continuing. "Then, she tells me to stay in Goodneighbor. So here I am."

Fahrenheit waited a second or two before she replied. "She's not wrong."

Hancock cringed. "I know she's not. But if she thinks I'm going to go running after her, I'm not. She doesn't want my help? That's fine with me."

"So… you're just going to let her go and take on Sinjin alone?" She asked.

"She's the damned Silver Shroud. I'm sure she will be just fine." He said, angrily.

"Let me get this straight. So you are angry because Cap was right about needing to protect people better. And now you are going to let her go up against Sinjin alone, who will probably end up killing her, or worse. And you are just going to wait for her here, even though you know she will probably die." Fahrenheit said before taking another drag.

Hancock stayed silent for a few seconds, and then pushed himself off of the wall. "God damn it." He growled and marched to the gate door. Fahrenheit smirked and stayed outside the weapons shop to enjoy her cigarette.

* * *

Kent awoke with a start when he was dropped on the cold, hard tiled floor of a huge room with white walls and ceiling. As his vision began to clear, he saw storage shelves all over the room. Old boxes and containers were strewn around the floor and shelves.

He rolled onto his knees, his wrists behind his back making it hard to move. He grimaced as his knee throbbed with pain. He looked up to see a raider smiling darkly at him, a group of five behind him. The raider slammed a boot into his face, sending Kent tumbling backwards.

"Not so big now, are ya, Kent? Now that you don't have your damn radio!" The raider said, laughing as the hostage groaned in pain, laying on his side, trying desperately to clear his head from the kick. The raider delivered another blow to his ribs, forcing Kent to double over in pain, cringing and curling into the fetal position. The group surrounded him and continued the assault, all taking turns kicking the ghoul. After a few minutes, the one who started the barrage stopped the others.

Kent was shaking and taking in shallow breathes. He mumbled something, his eyes tightly shut. "What was that, you shit?" One of the raiders asked and leaned in to hear what he said.

"The Sh-Shroud is going to… to kill you." He said through gritted teeth. The raider raised his boot to kick him again before Avery, Sinjin's second in command, stopped them.

"We need him alive, idiots. Leave him. If we don't kill him when the Shroud gets here, you can have him back, alright?" She said through her sacked hood. She grabbed Kent by the shoulder of his coat and dragged him behind some storage boxes and propped him up against a wall.

Kent looked up at her, his eyes wide. Avery looked down at him and nodded. "You should be alright here. Just stay quiet and they should leave you alone." She said in a somewhat kind voice. Kent nodded and she walked away from him with a sigh.

* * *

"What do you think she's like? This Shroud bitch?" A raider said, her gun pointed in the direction that she and her partner guard heard gunshots not a few minutes back. The two were standing in an office room inside Milton General hospital, desks with a few working terminals glowing with a soft hum.

"Who cares? She's going to be dead when she turns that corner." The other said, with a smirk. "Then we get the bounty Sinjin promised. I can't wait to watch the boss put two in Kent's head. The fuckin' little prick got our boys killed while he was playin' hero."

The first nodded. "She killed Smiley. I liked that one. Twisted, just the way I like 'em." She chuckled. Before her partner could respond with a snide remark, the door behind them, which the male raider was positive he had locked, slid open. The raiders spun to fire, but were put down by two quick muzzle flashes from a combat rifle. Cap glared at the two corpses and moved through the room towards her target.

She made her way through the rest of the hospital and pressed the button to take the elevator down to the lowest floor, where she suspected Sinjin was waiting for her. As the door made its way to the floor she was on, Cap heard a click behind her right ear.

"Easy now, Shroud…. No quick movements or I put one through your ear, ya hear me?" A twitched out raider said, smiling. Cap raised her arms, seeming to give up. "Oh man… Sinjin is going to give me a HUGE reward for capturing you alive. Maybe my own island… or make the mayor of Goodneighbor!"

"Hey!" A voice called out behind the raider. The strung out man looked over his shoulder before a shotgun blast sent him to the ground. "No one takes my job while I'm still around." Hancock said, glaring at the corpse of the person who had his friend at gunpoint. He looked at Cap. "You alright, sister?"

She scowled. "I told you not to come." She said and the elevator doors opened with a bright *Ding*. "Go home, Hancock."

Before the doors closed after her, Hancock grabbed the door. "Cap… Look, I'm sorry. You… made a good point and I... I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for tellin' it like it is. So... we good?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I said what I did." Cap sighed heavily and reloaded her gun. She then smiled at the charming ghoul. "You want to come with me to deal with the asshole at the end of this elevator ride?"

"You even gotta ask? You bet I do." He said and walked into the elevator with a smirk. He rested his shotgun on his shoulder and started to whistle a song from Diamond City Radio to fill in the lack of elevator music. As the doors open, the pair was greeted by the gruff voice of Sinjin.

"Shroud! I wanna talk to you!" He called out to her to keep the shroud from shooting before he had time to tell her his evil plans.


	9. Clearing the Air

**Chapter 9: Clearing the Air**

* * *

 **Welcome back! Glad so many are sticking with the story. I really appreciate all of the visitors and views for this story. Wrapping this chapter in Cap's story and moving on to the next. As always, leave a review and let me know how you are liking it!**

* * *

When Cap and Hancock walked out of the elevator, they were faced with half a dozen raiders, all pointing their guns at the pair. On a raised platform in the storage room stood Sinjin, his rifle pointed at the back of Kent's head. The small ghoul was kneeling in front of the gang leader, helpless to do much of anything besides look at his friend in front of him. His worried, tired eyes met Cap's as she took her place in the center of the room, Hancock standing by her side. Though they were both armed, Cap didn't want to risk Kent's wellbeing. She kept her rifle pointed at the ground.

"Hold assholes. Anyone fires a shot before I say so, I'm going after your families." Sinjin barked at his men. "And you Shroud. Some of these idiots think you are a legend, like you walked right out of a comic book. But we both know you're human… and you're weak. You came here and for what, your little side kick?"

Cap smirked. "That's right. I came here for my side kick. And I shot the hell out of a lot of your men to get to him. You think I'll stop now?" She said with a slight chuckle. "Now here's what's going to happen. You're going to release Kent and we will have our old fashion shootout between me and your boys here, and in comic book fashion, the good guys are going to win. I promise you, though... I will put a bullet through your head before anything happens to my friend."

Avery, who stood to the left of Sinjin, took a step back, her nerves getting the better of her. She thanked whatever deity there was that she was wearing a hood to mask her fear. The others didn't have the same luxury as they squirmed in their spots.

The big ghoul growled in anger. "Screw you! After I take you and the mayor there out, we're going to Goodneighbor and shooting the damn place up. Get 'em boys!" He shouted.

The raiders opened fire on Evelyn and Hancock. In one swift movement, Cap brought her rifle to her face, peered down the scope, and fired a shot, piercing Sinjin through the forehead. He fell backwards from the force of the bullet, crumpling into a heap on the ground. Once Kent was safe, she ducked behind a storage container just after an enemy shot met her arm. She grimaced in pain and popped up to continue to mow down the opposition.

Hancock was busy clearing out the right side of the room. As they had done in the past, Cap worked on the left side, picking off the raiders with well-placed headshots. In a few short minutes, the room was clear and five bodies laid around the room. She stood from her hiding spot and moved to the platform with Hancock close behind. Evie kneeled behind Kent and started to undo the binds on his wrists. "You alright, Kent?"

"I have never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life." He said, rubbing his wrists as Cap helped him to his feet.

Hancock smiled at Kent, glad he was safe. He heard a scuffling sound behind him, which made him spin around and point his gun at a storage box on the platform. "You got to the count of three to come out here with your hands up or I start shootin'!" He warned. "One!"

"Ok ok… just don't shoot." Avery said and stood up, her hands in plain view. Hancock pumped his shotgun, readying a round into the chamber to fire before Kent piped up.

"Mayor Hancock, wait! Don't shoot her!" He said quickly, leaning on Cap to ease the pain in his leg.

Hancock looked at Kent, his gun still trained on the raider. "What?! Why the hell shouldn't I put a bullet in her for all the shit she's done?"

Kent sighed. "She helped me. She stopped 'em from killin' me. The l-least I can do is repay the favor."

Hancock looked at her and shook his head. He lowered his shotgun. "Fine. But she still isn't off the hook."

Cap thought for a moment. "Well, we could use an extra hand getting Kent back to Goodneighbor. You help us get back there in one piece, and we are even. Deal?" She asked Avery, looking into her eyes with a cold stare. The raider nodded in agreement. "Good. Take off the hood and help Kent walk."

Avery took off her hood, showing the face of a 30 year old woman with short brown hair and light brown skin. Her deep brown eyes shown bright in the florescent lights of the storage room. She walked to Kent and draped one of his arms over her shoulder so that he could keep the weight off of his bad knee. The small squad started to make their way to the exit.

* * *

"It's getting late." Cap said to the two ghouls and the raider as they walked along the outskirts of the Boston ruins. "We won't be able to make it back to town before dark. We should find a place to camp for the night." She started to scan nearby buildings to find a good place to hunker down for the night.

"There's a safe place just around the corner. It's an old Red Rocket station. Used to have a few bedrolls in it that we can use to sleep. A fire spot for cooking too." Avery said, speaking up for the first time since they left the hospital. Cap looked over at Hancock to get his opinion on what they should do. He just shrugged, unsure if they could trust the ex-raider.

"Sounds like a good spot to me. I gotta rest, Shroud. My knee is killin' me." He said. "If Avery thinks it's safe, then I trust her."

Cap looked suspicious, but let Avery lead them to the spot. In a few short minutes, they were at the station. As promised, there were bedrolls spread out in the back room of the store. Most of the old coolant pumps out front were gone, but the windows to the shop were fortified. In the middle of the store was an old fire pit which was used for cooking by the prior residents.

Cap did a sweep of the building, taking out a few rad roaches before motioning for Avery to help Kent inside. Hancock start a fire and Cap cooked some of the roaches she cleared out. Once they were all fed, Cap stood and stretched. "Well, I think I'll scope out the area, make sure we won't have any surprises tonight. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hancock stood as well. "I'll join you. Don't want you coming across somethin' you can't handle." He said with a smirk. "As long as Kent doesn't mind staying back here alone with a murdering raider." He said, looking at Avery.

Avery glared back at him and started to defend herself. "I'm not a monster. You don't even know me… You have no idea what I've been through-"

Kent interrupted their fight. "It's fine! I don't mind staying back with Avery. I trust her." He said, defending her.

Hancock smiled and nodded. "Alright then. You two kids have fun." He said and followed Cap outside. He preferred to be with Cap. Just the two of them. Something about it just felt… right. They walked in silence for a few minutes before they made it to the top of a hill that overlooked a small lake filled with radioactive water. Still, in the moonlit night, it looked almost peaceful.

Cap sat down on the hill and sighed. "Hancock, I… I need to tell you something." She said.

Hancock sat next to her and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I know, you don't have to say it…" He said.

"You do?" She asked, shocked.

"Yup, you are falling madly in love with me. I know." He joked, making her smile and chuckle.

"Ass. No, I need to tell you something important." She said, looking nervous.

"Hey… Cap, you can tell me anything, alright?" He said, looking as sincere as a ghoul could.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. Well…. You know how you told me about that girl that you umm… that you felt so close to?" She asked.

"Yup. I never did tell you the final ending of that story, huh?" He said with a heavy sigh. He hated reliving that memory.

"You don't need to… I know how it ends." Cap replied.

"What do you mean you know how it ends?"

"The girl. She tried to protect you and the other drifters from Vic's boys one night. And she shot one of them. They chased her into the ruins and they put a bullet in her when she tripped among the rubble of a collapsed building." Cap told the story for him.

Hancock looked at her, stunned. "How… How do you know that?"

Cap looked at him and smiled sadly. "She didn't die, Hancock. The gang member, the one who shot her… he was once a friend of her father's. And he shot next to her to fake her death in order to save her life. When the coast was clear, Ev got up and ran as far from Goodneighbor as she could. She ended up in the Capitol Wasteland, where she met up with a big guy named Twoey." She looked down at her feet, unable to look at Hancock's shocked expression.

"That means that… you? All this time?" He asked after a moment of silence. "And you didn't tell me?!"

Evelyn sighed. "I had no idea you were… well, you, Johnny. Not until that night on the roof. I couldn't believe that you had turned into a ghoul."

Hancock huffed out a laugh. "Yeah well… it was kind of your fault. When you were gone, I didn't much care what happened to me anymore. I couldn't keep looking at the same guy in the mirror. The one that let you die alone in the Ruins. So, I took an experimental drug and turned myself into a ghoul. When I came to, I was passed out in front of the clothes of John Hancock. Didn't want to be John McDonough anymore. Thought this was a sign that I could do more in life than cower and get high. So I smashed the case, put on the clothes and took on my new role as Hancock, defender of the little guy." He said, staring at the lake.

Evelyn chuckled. "The past makes us who we are, John. And honestly, I can't imagine us any other way." She said, looking at the lake as well.

Hancock looked at her for a second. "I'm glad you are back, Ev." He said. She smiled to him and nodded. "Me too." Hancock looked away quickly. "I think we should be heading back. Don't want to find out too late that Avery isn't done being a raider yet."

He stood up and turned towards the station again. Cap followed him, walking in silence. When they walked through the door, they saw Kent leaning against one of the walls near the fire, with Avery leaning on his shoulder. They both were sleeping soundly.

Hancock looked confused. "There's something weird about this picture." He whispered to Cap, who smiled.

"It's called the Stockholm Syndrome. Hostages defending and in some cases befriending their captors. Might be vice versa in this case as well." She said, softly.

"It's still messed up." He replied.

* * *

The next day, the group of four made it through the gates to Goodneighbor and into the Maiden Inn. Upon entering, Cap caught sight of her mercs, who were sitting at the bar, enjoying food and drink with a new comer. They greeted her with a boisterous hello, Boomer hugging her and lifting her off of the ground.

"What the hell are you wearing?!" He asked her, laughing.

Cap looked down at her Silver Shroud costume and smiled. "Oh… yeah… it's a long story." She said. Avery helped Kent sit down at a table in the dining room. "Could you get them something to eat, Cookie? We ate something I cooked yesterday but… I have a feeling they could use something that doesn't taste burnt." She joked.

Cookie nodded and walked to the kitchen. Hancock and Cap took a seat at the bar as the new comer looked them over. The man that sat with Cap's team wore a long tan duster, a dark brown hat and carried a laser musket, something she hadn't seen since she returned to the Commonwealth.

"Where are my manners?!" Boomer shouted and clasped a hand on the man's shoulder. "Cap, I'd like to introduce you to a guy we met during our adventure. This here is Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. Preston, this here is Cap. Our fearless leader that we have been telling you about."

Preston held his hand out to shake hers. "I have heard a lot about you." He said as she took his hand and shook it.

"I'm sure. Though now I am worried about what they said." She replied with a smile. "What the hell happened on your little Boys Only mission?"

Twoey smiled. "Might want to get a drink for this one. It's a long story."


	10. The Minutemen

**Chapter Ten: The Minutemen**

* * *

 **A/N: In response to a reviewer of this story, Cookie is Gob from Fallout 3. Good eye!**

* * *

Twoey, Cookie and Boomer walked the cracked pavement towards their target, a small farm located under a section of a severely damage overpass. The trio caught sight of the farm, a small wooden shack with a field of Mutfruit trees off to the right. The two heads of a Brahmin were munching lazily on food put in an old bathtub. The approaching mercs caused the right head to moo in recognition. Two farmers, an older woman and a young man about the age of 20, rose from their kneeled position in the dirt and watched the group approach.

Boomer smiled and nodded a hello, walking towards them to start a conversations before another farmer, this time an older man in a green heavy coat, yellow rubber hat, and a big bushy beard rushed towards them, shotgun in hand. "Hey! Stop right theya!" He said in a heavy Bostonian accent. The mercs stopped and Twoey instinctively reached for his rifle before the man got close enough. Upon looking over the approaching men, he sighed in relief. "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were some of those Forged lunatics." The old farmer said, relaxing his gun. "You lot don't have the burns. What are ya doin' heya?"

Twoey released the butt of his rifle, leaving it in its holder on his back. "We heard you were asking for some help with a group of raiders."

The old man looked surprised. "Oh. That. You with the Minutemen? Because one of your boys is already headin' down to deal with 'em."

Cookie looked surprised. "The Minutemen? Huh. Well, we aren't with them. We heard from a trader that you needed a hand, so we thought we would check it out."

"Real kind of ya an' all." The farmer smiled and reached his hand out to shake Twoey's, which the big mercenary accepted. "Abraham Finch. Nice to meet ya." He sighed heavily. "Listen, I told that Minuteman guy about the raiders down at the old Ironworks factory, just down the road. But those guys ah no joke, and I would feel terrible if he died on behalfa' me askin'. So I'll tell ya all the same deal. My son, Jake, took my grandad's sword and ran off to join their little gang. That sword is the closest thing I got to an heirloom, so I want it back. If you can get it, I'll pay ya a reward. And if that Minuteman is still alive, bring him back too, alright?"

The trio listened to the proposal. Boomer looked at his friends with a smile. "I think that's fair. We can do that." He then turned his head back to Abraham. "But what about your son? Don't you want us to bring him back too?"

At the mention of his son, Abraham's kind face turned into a scowl. "That boy is dead to me. I didn't raise my boys to be raidas. You bring back that sword, I don't care what happens to him."

Twoey looked a bit upset, thinking that a father should try and help his son regardless if he is a raider, but he nodded in agreement to help Mr. Finch. "Alright. We will be back with the sword." With that, the big merc lead the others down the road, the eyes of Abraham's wife and son, the other two farmers in the fields, following them as they left.

Approaching the Ironworks, the three friends heard gunshots and the sound of a flame thrower tossing plumes of fire at anyone unlucky enough to have it pointed at them. Figuring it must be the Minuteman that Mr. Finch told them about, the group raced to assist.

From the other side of a rusted and half destroyed fence, they saw a man in a tan duster behind a transport truck parked outside of a concrete and steel factory, taking cover as three raiders in leather armor and long jackets made their way towards him, flamethrower and pistols in hand. Twoey shot at the raider with the flamethrower from their spot on the other side of the fence. Cookie and Boomer ran through a hole in the chain-link to help the pinned man.

Cookie charged straight at the nearest raider, who wielded a 10mm pistol. The target was distracted by the bullet that put down his friend holding the flamethrower. As the enemy reached for the oversized weapon, the ghoul shot a round from his shotgun into him, causing him to drop like a sack of potatoes.

Meanwhile, Boomer ran next to the man in the duster and grinned. "Here to help." He said quickly to the other, who was stunned by their arrival. Peering around the side of the truck they used for cover, Boomer raised his pistol and shot three bullets at the last remaining raider, two hitting her shoulder, and one ripping through her neck. She fell to her knees, holding the wound before hitting the pavement face first.

With the action now calmed down, Boomer turned back to speak to their rescuee. "Hi there. Come here often?" He joked with a chuckle.

The Minuteman looked shocked at the casual merc with the rocket launcher on his back. "What… I mean… who the hell are you guys?" He asked, confused. Now that they were closer, the trio noticed that the man was tall with dark skin. He wore a dark brown hat on his head and his duster covered a dark blue vest and brown pants. Twoey and Cookie joined their friend behind the truck as Boomer held out his hand to the newcomer. "Names Boomer. That's Twoey and Cookie." He said, pointing to each in turn.

"Preston Garvey. Commonwealth Minutemen. And I am glad as hell to meet you three." Preston said with a big smile.

"What were you thinkin', charging into here like that? One guy against all of these raiders? Bad idea." Cookie almost scolded Garvey, shaking his head.

"Not like I had much of a choice. I'm the only Minuteman left, so when somebody asks for our help, it's not like I can wait for someone else to come along." He said with sadness in his voice.

Boomer sighed. "Well, then I guess we get to honorary Minutemen for today, huh? Finch told us about the sword. I say we get it back a split the reward four ways, alright?"

Preston smiled. "If you guys help me get this straightened out, you three can keep the reward. I'm just happy to have some back up on this one."

"Then it's settled. Let's take care of these assholes." Cookie added and the three walked around the truck and approached the factory. The outside was a dull gray color and had burns around the roof, leading from the large smoke stacks jutting from the top. The dull glow of a forge was clearly burning from inside the building, indicating that the gang had put the factory back into production for unknown reasons.

Once through the main doors at the front of the factory, the four men were hit with the smell of melting metal and burning flesh, making them gag and pause. "Jesus! What the hell do they do down here?!" Boomer asked in a hushed voice.

"Do you really want to know?" Twoey replied and readied his rifle. Something told him that he was going to hate this Forged group more than he usually did with raiders.

"Good point." The explosives expert said and followed their leader further through the entrance way, which opened up to the rest of the factory. On the factory floor, the group saw equipment for smelting metal and ore, which included large stone kettles with molten hot material in them. They were lifted and moved using large fork lifts, which were scatter about the floor. A few raiders patrolled among the machinery, and along the steel walkways that hung round the parameter of the room. Ramps connected the walkways to more above, leading up almost to the ceiling.

Cookie pointed to a grouping of raiders off to the left, three in total. Boomer smiled. "Allow me to start things off right." He said and brought out his rocket launcher. Taking aim, Cookie grabbed Preston's arm and moved him away from the back end of the launcher. With a press of the trigger, the rocket hit its target and blasted the raiders to bits. The others in the room took notice and the mercs and Minuteman sprang into action.

Preston and Cookie charged onto the factory floor, clearing out the raiders among the machinery and equipment. Twoey lead the way up to the first level of the walkways, Boomer close behind, putting his rocket launcher away and bringing out his pistol. He looked up just in time to see a Molotov Cocktail flying towards his rifle toting friend and shot the bottle out of the air, making it explode, almost harmlessly, above their heads. He and Twoey took cover behind some steel crates as Boomer threw a frag grenade, blasting a few more raiders who were charging towards them. Twoey cleaned up any raiders that were left groaning on the ground with a bullet.

Once at the end of the walkway, the group of four met up, Cookie and Preston taking one of the ramps up to meet them. "Everyone alright?" Preston asked.

"So far so good." Boomer replied and the four made their way up the next ramp to the upper level.

Mopping up a few more raiders and turrets along the way, the group pressed on to an adjoining room, eventually making it to a set of blue, steel doors. Voices could be heard beyond the doors and a strong smell of burning bodies was coming from the spaces surrounding them.

"Shall we?" Twoey asked the group with a slight smile. The rest nodded and Twoey opened the door quickly. The four rushed into the room, their guns raised. Upon entering, they were confronted with a large forge full of melted metal and, god knows what else, directly in front of them. A raider in power armor stood on a platform 20 feet above the cauldron, with raiders lining the metal ramps on either side. A man in farmers clothes was kneeling before the steel plated raider, his hands bound behind his back. On the same level that the mercenaries stood on was another prisoner in similar garb. He was kneeling in front of a young man, around eighteen years old, who was also in basic clothing, setting him apart from the leather and steel clad raiders in the room.

Twoey raised his rifle to the obvious leader on the platform, but didn't fire, worried for the two hostages that were placed dangerously close to the forge. The others pointed their guns at the raiders on the ramps, the situation extremely tense.

"Hold assholes! No one fire a god damn shot. If our new friends here move, kill 'em." The leader said. With that, he swung a sword with blue flames emanating from the blade at the man kneeling in front of him, sending him flying, mortally wounded, into the cauldron below.

"Son of a bitch!" Cookie shouted and was about to charge, when Boomer stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You four must be strong to make it all the way in here." The big boss said with a smirk.

"If that was supposed to be a challenge, I'm guessing you are going to be a piece of cake to get rid of." Boomer shot back with a hot glare.

The Power Armor clad raider laughed. "I like you. Names' Slag, by the way. Ya see, Jake? Now here are some men that might be worth my time."

The young man in front of the mercs shook his head, looking up at the boss. "You said we would be raiding outside the Commonwealth. These people aren't even a threat to us. I passed the trials, I gave you my family's sword."

Slag shook his head. "You think because you stole something from your pop that it makes you one of us? Though, I gotta admit, this lovely sword does make me more inclined to give you another shot. So here's the deal. You kill that prisoner and drop him into the forge. Prove to me that you can kill! It's him or you."

At the mention of being killed, the farmer kneeling in front of Jake looked at the young man, pleadingly. "Please… I just want to go home. Let me go." He said, terrified at what this punk kid was going to do.

Jake started to shake and mumble to himself. "What do I do….?"

Boomer was shocked. "What do you do?! You stop thinking about killing an innocent person!" He said loudly through gritted teeth.

Preston stepped forward. "Just walk away, Jake. Go home. Go back to your family."

"I can't go back. My father would throw me out for what I have done." Jake said, looking over his shoulder at the group. "I don't wanna die…" He brought out his gun and pointed it at the hostage. He didn't fire, his hands shaking.

"Don't do it, boy." Twoey said, his gun trained on Slag still. "Your father told us about you. Why do you think we're here? We came to bring you home." His face was set in stone and his tone was so even, it was impossible to see that he was telling a lie.

"What? He…. He sent you to find me?" Jake asked.

"Of course he did! Now, put the gun down." Cookie shouted.

"Alright… I… I'm not going to do this, Slag. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just wanna go home." Jake looked at the raider boss.

"I don't think that's going to happen. Waste 'em!" Slag pointed his sword at the group and the raiders on the ramps pushed their attack.

"Cookie! Get the hostage!" Twoey ordered and rushed to the left ramp, firing at the raider with the flame thrower. Preston rushed to the right, firing his laser musket at the woman who was running down towards Jake with a switchblade in her hand.

The ghoul ran and pushed Jake to the side as the farmer tried to get to his feet amongst the bullets and flames. He lost his balance and started to topple backwards into the forge. Before he felt the searing heat, a ghoulish hand grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back onto the steel platform. Shielding him with his body, Cookie protected the farmer and sat him in a safe corner. "Wait here." He said in his gruff voice before he ran back into the fray.

Meanwhile, Boomer pulled out his rocket launcher and blasted Slag's Power Armor, bringing the raider boss to his knees. He loaded another round and fired again, sending the raider sprawling to his back, bleeding as metal shards from his armor embedded themselves into his exposed face and neck. Boomer's normal smile was replaced with a look of pure hate as he loaded a third round.

Cookie saw another rocket being loaded and stopped him. "Easy! Twoey and Preston are almost up there. You could catch them in the blast."

Boomer growled and brought out his pistol, rushing to the upper level, past the know dead raider on the right ramp. Coming up on Slag, he pointed his gun at the man's head and unloaded the clip into it, spraying blood and brain matter on the steel around him.

Twoey and Preston met on the upper platform as well, the merc leader approaching Boomer first. "Nicely done… You can put the pistol away now, alright?" He said calmly.

Boomer grunted in anger and put it away. "Where's the stupid brat we came here for?" He asked as Twoey retrieved the weapon from Slag's body.

Cookie grabbed Jake's arm and pulled him roughly to his feet.

"Look, I'm sorry, I panicked!" Jake said, looking at the four men still standing about the room.

"Yeah, well that guy died while you stood by! And you almost killed the other one!" Boomer said. It was very rare that he showed this level of hostility in a situation like this. Seeing a person act so foolishly that it cost an innocent person his life, however, didn't sit well with him.

"I know… I screwed up." Jake sighed, looking at the ground. "I just want to go home, now that I know my dad will let me stay back at the farm. I never thought he would send people to come find me."

"He didn't." Twoey said coldly. "We came for the sword. I lied so that you wouldn't kill that farmer. He didn't deserve to die so you could prove yourself to be a man." The giant merc walked down to the corner where the farmer was still sitting and untied his hands.

"Thank you… I thought I was a goner for sure." The rescued man said, rubbing his wrists. He glared at Jake but didn't say anything.

"You mean… He doesn't want me back at home?" Jake asked, sadly.

"I'm sure he does, kid. Just go talk to him. Either way, we get paid so you're on your own when you deal with your dad." Cookie added. "You want to prove that you're tough? Go face your problems head on. And don't cower away from them by running off and joining a group of raiders."

Jake thought for a minute. "You're right. Well… thanks. I guess I'll see you four at the farm. I'm sure you want your reward for getting the sword." The young man turned to leave, followed by the mercenaries and Minuteman.

* * *

"So, we get back to Finch Farm just in time to hear Mrs. Finch putting Abraham and her son Jake in their places. It was clear who wore the pants in that family." Boomer said, laughing. The mercs, Hancock, Kent, Avery and Preston Garvey were sitting at a table in the Maiden Inn as Boomer and Twoey told them the story of how they took out the Forge, with commentary by Preston and Cookie.

"Abraham thanked us for bringing his boy home, even though it wasn't part of the job, and paid us a reward for the sword. We tried to split it with Preston here, but he wouldn't have it." Cookie added.

"I know I wouldn't have made it through that fight by myself, so you deserved the reward." Garvey added with a smile.

"Once we were all done, we asked Preston if he wanted to come rest at the Inn for a while before he headed back to his settlement. Where were you from again?" Boomer asked the Minuteman.

"Sanctuary" Preston replied to the group, then turned his attention to Cap. "Your men told me all about you on the way here. You seem like a good person to have in a fight."

Cap, who had long since taken off the Silver Shroud coat and hat, smiled back at him. "Yeah, well, we work well as a team. Without these guys, I wouldn't have survived out there, let alone make a difference." He motioned to her team, who grinned proudly.

"It's more than that, though." Garvey continued. "They told me how you saved each of them, and how you go out of your way to protect others. There is nothing in it for you, you have your own problems to deal with, and yet you help people anyway. I mean, look at this Inn. People can stay here, free of charge and even get a free meal. I think you can help out the Commonwealth in a much bigger way."

Cap lifted her eyebrows, questioningly. "Oh? How so?"

Preston sighed heavily. "As Boomer said at the beginning of the story, I'm the only Minuteman left. We used to be a force of good. We worked together to protect the settlements outside of Diamond City and Goodneighbor. For generations, we fought and died for that goal. But after General Becker died, the whole thing started to fall apart slowly.

It finally ended in Quincy. I was there, protecting the settlers from Gunners. When they pushed into the settlement, the other Minutemen turned their backs on us and left us to die. I escaped with a few others. We lead the settlers from one disaster to the next until we ended up in a shootout with raiders in Concord. I figured it was the end of the line when a guy in a Vault suit shows up and helps us clear them out."

"Ryan?!" Boomer shouted, excitedly.

"Uh, yeah. You guys know him?" Preston asked.

"Sure do! He's a friend of ours." Boomer added.

"Well, more like we captured him spying on us and decided he was worth keeping alive." Cookie said with a chuckle.

Preston nodded and continued. "Ryan jumped into a suit of Power Armor and took out the raiders, as well as a Deathclaw. He helped us get to Sanctuary and the settlers from Quincy started to set up homes and farms to begin a new life. But we lost all the remaining Minutemen trying to get there."

"I'm sure the Minutemen can be rebuilt." Cap said, reassuringly.

"I think so too. But I can't do it. Not alone. I can lead my men in a battle, but in order to rebuild the Minutemen like it used to be, someone else needs to be the General. Someone who can inspire others and unite the Commonwealth under one flag." Preston, Twoey, Boomer, Cookie, and even Hancock looked at Cap.

Evelyn looked around at the table and sighed. "Look, Preston. I'm flattered and all, but I don't know about all of that. I mean, my men like what we have going for us here and they don't even know who the Minutemen are-"

"Sure we do! Preston told us all about how they help people 'at a minutes notice.' Come on, cap... Think of all the good we can do!" Boomer cut her off with a smile. "The Inn is small time. We can really make a difference out there."

"And what about the Inn? Who's going to keep it running while we're roaming around, saving the Commonwealth?" She asked, looking around the dining room that they all sat in.

"I could watch the place, Shroud." Kent said, smiling. "I've run it for a while a-and I don't think I wanna to stay at the Memory Den anymore. I can live here and run it for you."

"What, by yourself?" Evelyn asked, defensively. She knew that Kent could run the Inn, maybe even better than she could, but she also knew he couldn't hold a gun to protect it. "What happens if someone tries to rob the place? No offense, Kent, but you're not the best fighter."

"I can help run security here." Avery said, leaning back in her chair. "I don't have anything better to do, now that my boss is out of business. Might as well pay you back for not killing me."

"And I'm sure I can have the Neghborhood Watch keep an eye on the place. After all, their new job is looking out for the citizens of our fair town." Hancock chimed in with a charming smile.

Evelyn shot him a look. "Et tu, Hancock?" She said and sighed. She racked her brain for another reason why she couldn't accept the position, but none came to her. She sighed again. "Fine… Let's get started."

Preston smiled, excitedly. "Great! Ready when you are, General."


	11. Reuniting the Commonwealth

**Chapter 11: Reuniting the Commonwealth**

* * *

General of the Minutemen was not something Cap took lightly. As a child, she was very familiar with them. Her father had joined them for a few months before he met her mother. She grew up respecting, and in some ways, idolizing them. She didn't, however, think that she would someday be running the whole organization.

The day after she accepted the position, she asked that her team bring her all of the maps of the Commonwealth they could find around the Inn and Goodneighbor. Within an hour, she had multiple maps spread out on a table in the dining room of the Inn, and was able to see a view of the Boston Ruins and the surrounding areas. With Preston's help, she made marks where each of the prominent settlements were with an X. Preston added a star to an area on the east side of the map, along the coast. He said he would explain why when the time was right.

As she was studying the map and starting to plan for the best course of action, the doors to the Inn opened and in walked a familiar face. "Well, well. Looks like someone is busy." Ryan said with a smile. He walked towards the table where all of the maps were laid out, followed by a synth in a trench coat and fedora.

Cap looked up and grinned. "VB. Nice to see you again." She responded and walked to greet him. Ryan's hair was now shabby and outgrown. His stubble had spread to a short beard that was untrimmed and flecked with dirt and grime. The outfit that she and her mercs had given him was now covered in leather, and even some metal, armor. He looked tired, but it was his eyes that looked so different to Evie. They were cold, intense, and in a way, disturbing. "What are you doing in Goodneighbor?"

"We've made a huge breakthrough." He said to her and smiled with excitement. "I found out where Shawn is."

"That's great! Where is he?" Cap asked.

"The institute." Ryan replied.

Cap's smile faded. "Oh… wow, that's awful. I'm so sorry." The Institute was bad news. A mysterious organization that moved through the Commonwealth like a pack of boogeymen. They were responsible for the production of synths, androids and mechanical humans that often resulted to violence to solve their problems. When people went missing, they didn't come back. She didn't know of anyone that made it into the Institute and was able to make it out again. If his son was alive in there, it would be nearly impossible to see him again.

"We think we may be able to figure out a way in. I mean, there has to be a way. They send synths out all the time. We just have to figure out how they do it. Nick here thinks he knows someone that can help." Ryan turned to the mechanical man behind him.

The synth, or synthetic human, stepped forward, smiling. His skin, or outer covering, was grey and had patches missing, particularly below his ears and around his neck. His eyes shown bright yellow under the brim of his hat. His worn out trench coat and fedora looked like something out of a comic book. "Pleasure to meet you, Evelyn."

"Likewise… Nick Valentine, I take it?" She asked and held out her hand to shake his.

He reached his metal hand towards her, which resembled a metal claw more than a human hand. She shook it regardless, never breaking eye contact, a nice smile on her face. "You got it, though it's hard to mistake this mug for anyone else. Ryan has told me a lot about you."

Cap nodded. "Seems to be a trend with people I know." She said and shot a look at Cookie and Boomer, who were still standing at the table with the maps. They looked away, grinning.

Nick chuckled. "Anyway, we took out a guy named Kellogg. He worked for the Institute, a real cold blooded killer. If anyone knows how to get in there, it would be him."

"Took out? So he is dead? Kinda hard to get info out of him then." Cap replied.

"Right you are. But… we have a piece of his brain. And Goodneighbor has a business that specializes in handling brains and memories." Nick said and smiled. "Doctor Amari at the Memory Den is probably the only person in the Commonwealth that could make a dead brain sing."

Cap thought for a moment. "Wow… that's actually a really good idea. Insane, maybe. But it's your best option, I suppose."

"Exactly. I figured we would stop and say hi before we went off to see the good doctor." Ryan added.

"Wanted to say hi? When you are so close to finding your son?" Cap asked.

Ryan smirked a little. "Well, I also wanted to check on you. Make sure you were doing alright." He said, softer, stepping towards her. He met her gaze, looking deep into her eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine. Took on a new project to keep myself busy. Ever hear of a little group called the Minutemen?" She laughed slightly. "Well, they found themselves a new General."

Nick looked surprised, but Ryan just chuckled. "I think that's a good choice. They would be crazy not to ask you. I wish you the best of luck. It's going to be a lot of work."

"Thanks Ryan. Compared to breaking into the Institute, my job looks easy." She said and patted his shoulder. "But if there was anyone who could make it in, it's you. And with the help of someone like Nick, I have no doubt you'll find your son. If you ever need us, you know you only have to ask."

Ryan reached out and hugged her. Cap, caught off guard, hugged him in return and patted his back. "Good luck, VB."

He let her go and turned to Nick. "Let's go. Time's wasting." He said and started for the door. "I need to get some ammo before we head over to the Memory Den."

"I'll meet you there. I'd like a word with Evelyn before we go see Doctor Amari." Nick said.

Ryan looked back at him over his shoulder, and then nodded with a shrug. "Alright. See you there." He said and closed the door to the Inn behind him.

Nick sighed and turned to Evelyn. "Congratulations on becoming the General of the Minutemen. I hope they can stick around this time."

"Me too. But I have a feeling that you didn't stay behind to talk about my new position."

The detective smiled. "No, I suppose I didn't. I wanted to ask how well you know Ryan?"

"VB? He seems like a nice enough guy. Really wants to find his son." She said with a shrug. "Other than that, I don't know much about him. Why, is he in trouble or something?"

Nick shook his head. "No more than anyone else could be when they set their sights on the Institute. But some things he has done have made me question his other motives." The synth's face showed a solemn look of doubt and regret.

"What happened?" Cap probed.

Nick paused for a moment, unsure if he should continue telling his story to this new person. He felt that she was someone who he could trust, even though he had just met her. "I was being held in a vault. Some gang had kidnapped a girl and I went in to rescue her. Turns out she was the new fling for the boss, Skinny Malone. I was locked up in the Overseer's office for weeks before somebody in scrap leather armor finally let me out. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful as hell to Ryan for breaking me out. But, what he did as we were leaving…"

"Don't keep me in suspense, now." She answered, with a smile, trying to lighten the weight of the mood.

The detective sighed and continued. "We came to the entrance, where Skinny was waiting for us. I convinced him to let us walk on account of the history he and I had. He gives us to the count of ten to get out. Ryan and I start to make a break for it, but my rescuer stopped at the door to the Vault. I look back just in time to see him turn and unload his submachine gun into the backs of Skinny and his men. When the dust settled, I asked him why he did it. There was no reason for it. His response was that Skinny probably deserved it. What puzzled me the most about his answer was how nonchalant he was about wiping out three men and the girl I had come to rescue in the first place."

Cap listened to the story. It didn't seem like the Ryan she had first met, the one who laughed and joked with her and her team, despite the fact that he was technically their captive. Was her first impression of the vault dweller so wrong? Realizing Nick was looking at her, waiting for a response, she smiled a sad smile. "It's surprising he would act like that, but honestly, we have both seen worse in the wastes. We all have done bad things to survive, Mr. Valentine. Ryan needs help finding his son. You don't have to agree with everything he does, but please help him get Shawn back."

Nick nodded and returned her smile. "I will. Thank you for listening. I know you must be busy."

Evelyn waved it off and patted Nick's arm, reassuringly. "Always here to help. At a minutes notice! That's the Minutemen's slogan, I guess. Might need to work on that." She joked.

Nick huffed out a laugh. "Well, I should get going. Thanks again. Hope to see you out in the wastes."

Evelyn nodded to him and the private eye left her inn.

* * *

Returning the table, and being joined by the rest of her team and Preston, she looked at all the settlements, deep in thought. They needed to plan and make the best of the few people the Minutemen had. With only five members, all of them would be needed.

"Well, I think our first job is to take to the streets and visit as many settlements in need of help as we can. We can cover more ground if we split up." She instructed, her eyes locked with the map.

"Teams of two?" Twoey asked.

"That leaves one person without a partner. I can stay back and keep an ear out for trouble spots." Preston offered.

Cap shook her head. "No, I need as many abled body Minutemen showing the Commonwealth that we are back. No sitting in a cushy settlement, telling us which settlements need our help."

"So who goes solo?" Cookie asked, not liking the idea of anyone braving the trek alone.

"Cookie, you travel with Preston. Boomer, you're with Twoey." She replied.

"No. Cap, we can't let you travel alone." Boomer protested.

"Three teams can cover a lot more ground, and we can help more settlements at once. We can reunite the Commonwealth that much faster." She countered.

"And what good are you going to be if you're dead?!" Boomer shouted at her.

The room fell silent until it was broken by the entrance of Hancock, who opened the doors to the inn and stomped over the threshold. "Good morning, Minutemen and lady." He said with a smile, but stopped as they all turned to him, a serious look on each face. "Did I… interrupt somethin'?"

Boomer smirked. "Not at all. I think you may have solved our problem." He turned his attention back to Evelyn. "See? We found you a partner to travel with."

"The General cannot travel with him." Preston cut in.

"Why not?" Twoey asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, Garvey? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hancock questioned, defensively.

"I mean, Hancock as a reputation. One that can change the way someone views the new General of the Minutemen. And not for the better."

"Oh yeah? And what reputation are you so worried about?" The mayor grinned.

Preston looked at him and huffed out a humorless laugh. "You mean besides being a well-known chem junkie? You are brutal and people are scared of you. Not to mention the story of how to forcefully took over Goodneighbor ten years ago." Garvey said, in a harsh tone.

"Isn't that more reason to bring him along?" Cookie inquired. "People will think twice before kicking Cap out or drawing a gun on her, and if the General is being supported by such a high profile figure in the Commonwealth, we will gain support from a lot more people."

"What, like raiders and chem dealers?" Preston protested.

"Hey, Garvey. I got no love for raiders. Their kind of trouble makes me sick. The most important thing is keeping Ev safe, right? Who better to do that than a brutal, chem loving ghoul?"

Preston was about to reply to the mayor when Cap raised her hand to stop him. "Hancock, would you be willing to help the Minutemen out and travel with me again?"

"You even gotta ask that? Damn right I am." He replied.

"Then it's settled." Cap turned her attention back to the maps.

Preston huffed in disagreement but didn't argue about it anymore. "Fine. But I think we should start our work from Sanctuary. A friend there has been keeping an ear out for news of settlements that need help. It's well fortified and will be a good place to fall back to until we have a more permanent base."

The group agreed and started to suit up and grab most of their gear to move it to Sanctuary. Meanwhile, Kent had finished moving his belongings into the Maiden Inn and took a room on the second floor so he could be close to the entrance at all times. Cap had left some equipment for Avery to use, along with a stern warning that if anything happened to Kent or the Inn while she was away, she would make the ex-raider wish she had died next to Sinjin in that hospital.

As the new Minutemen looked around the Inn one last time for anything they would need and started to head out, Hancock rejoined the group after letting the people of Goodneighbor know that he was stepping out for a spell, and that Fahrenheit was in charge until he returned.

* * *

Preston led the group across a rickety bridge that was half falling apart. On the other side was a winding concrete path lined with pre-war houses, some completely caved in and others still accessible, and seemed in use by the settlers. Debris and junk still covered most of the ground around the settlement. Behind one of the houses, a small farm could be seen, growing melons and tatos. A man and a woman were working the field. In the distance, the sound of hammering rang out as repairs were being made to one of the houses that were still standing. An old woman sat in a chair in front of a yellow house, and a Mr. Handy was trimming dead bushes.

The picture was strange, at best, but when Preston approached the yellow house, the old woman smiled and a dog ran up to him, happy to see him again. "Hey Dogmeat. You keeping an eye on everyone for me?" He said, kneeling down and petting the German Shepheard. The dog barked in response and ran over to greet the newcomers. Cap chuckled and started to rub the dogs exposed belly as a man in overalls and a tool belt approached the group.

"Hey boss! Good to see ya. Found some new traveling buddies, huh?" The man said with a friendly smile.

"You can say that. Sturges, meet Evelyn, the new General of the Minutemen. And this is her team." He explained as Cap stood to shake his hand.

"General? Wow, you were busy on that last job. It's nice to meet ya. Name's Sturges. I take care of this little slice of paradise." He said, and shook the hand of each of the group as Evelyn introduced them. Sturges paused when Hancock was introduced, but shook his hand anyway. "Mayor Hancock? Haven't had the pleasure of visiting your town, but I hear… good things."

"You should come visit some time." Hancock replied.

"I'll have to. Come inside, let's get you all something to drink, an' then you can tell me what you're all here for." Sturges motioned for the group to enter the yellow house, which seemed to be the main building in this settlement.

After they all had a seat on some broken down furniture and chairs, Preston explained the plan to Sturges, and the role he was intended to play. "Seems like a good plan to me." Sturges exclaimed. "And it just so happens I know of a few places that could use the gentle touch of the Minutemen."

Preston laid out the collection of maps and Sturges looked them over for a brief second. He pointed to an "x" just south of Sanctuary. "Abernathy farm has been having some problem with raiders. Seems like they lost one of their own recently. Should handle that one with care." His finger then drifted to another "x" to the east, a few hours walk from their current base of operations. "Some feral ghouls are holed up near Tenpines Bluff, here. If they don't get wiped out soon, the settlers could be overrun." Moving again, he pointed to a spot in the middle of the map. "And County Crossing is complaining about a nest of Supermutants. Not the best assignment, but they definitely need the help."

Cap stayed in silent thought for a moment. "Alright, Twoey, you and Boomer check in on Abernathy Farm. See what you can do. Preston, take Cookie and clear out those ferals. The settlers will know where they are coming from, I'm sure. Hancock and I will make the trek out to County Crossing. Everyone meets back here after you are finished. We will regroup and debrief. Shouldn't take us all more than a day or so to get those jobs done."

Sturges smiled at the group. "Good luck."


	12. West Everett Estates

**Chapter 12: West Everett Estates**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry for the delay. The holidays were a bit busy for me. I'll be writing more regularly from here on out.**_

* * *

Cap and Hancock made it to their destination, County Crossing. This little homestead sat on the mid-eastern portion of the Commonwealth, near a radio beacon and a few other hot spots. As they approached, they were faced with the smoking ruin of a settlement. Half of the main house was caved in and the belongings inside were thrown about the ground. The crops, tatos and corn, we stomped into the dirt, making them unusable to grow food. The water pump was knocked over and the defenses that they had set up, one turret on the outskirts of the homestead, was destroyed and smoking.

"Hold it right there!" One of the settlers said, pointing a gun at the pair. Hancock raised his in response, but Cap made a motion for him to lower it. The middle aged settler looked like he was exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in days. He glared down the sights of his pistol at Cap. "What the hell do you want?"

"I heard you had a Supermutant problem. Figured we would come and help you out." Evie replied.

"You heard that, huh? Just look around! Those bastards hit us hard for three weeks now, but the last attack was the worst by far. Our crops are gone, our water pump is useless, and we don't even have a roof over our heads at night now!" The man growled back. "Those monsters need to pay."

Cap nodded. "Then the Minutemen will take care of it." She said with a smile.

"The Minutemen? For real? You have got to be kidding me…" The man laughed. "And who are you, the general?"

"Well, actually… Yeah, I suppose so." Evelyn replied.

He laughed even harder. "Oh, that's rich. Well, Miss General. I'll tell you what. If you guys are for real, then go clear out those Supermutants. They're at a little prewar neighborhood called West Everett Estates and they're dug in deep. Come back when you're done and I'll give you something for your trouble."

Cap just smiled politely as the man laughed in her face. "See you in a few hours." She said and turned to Hancock, who was glaring at the man. As they walked towards their target, Hancock was grumbling.

"Should've punched him out, Cap. Actin' like that. Supermutant attack or no, he should've shown you more respect."

"Well, we'll just have to show him who he was laughing at." Evie replied with a smile.

* * *

West Everett Estates was made up of a collection of prewar homes. With a concrete path leading to a cul-de-sac, it was off the main roads and probably was a quiet place to settle down at one point. Now, the place was ravaged by Supermutants. A make shift wall made of scrap metal and old cars lined the exterior. The homes were filled with debris and gore bags from the many Supertmutant meals. Even the homes that were still under construction in the neighborhood were now repurposed for the use of the hulking monsters.

Near the old, rusted out playground was the main gathering area for the Supermutants. A large fire burned brightly in the sunset and a set of four cages sat near the fire, each big enough for one human to stand or sit with their knees tucked to their chests. The rusted steel bars ran horizontally around the cylindrical cage, allowing the victims inside to see everything that the inhuman brutes did to the other occupants of the cages.

Cap and Hancock were perched on a hill overlooking the neighborhood, Cap taking a look at the fortifications through her scope. She sighed heavily when she noticed two people in the cages by the fire. One was clearly a raider, his mismatched leather armor and sacked hood made that clear. The other looked very out of place in the Commonwealth. He was a young man, mid-twenties perhaps, with a mop of dark hair on top of his head. However, it was his clothes that were so strange. He wore a white jumpsuit and white shoes on his feet. The clothes were new, clean and pressed, besides a few dirt spots from being manhandled by the mutants. It was definitely not a common sight in the Commonwealth, where the cleanest clothes you could find were over 200 years old.

"Looks like we have a complication." Cap said and moved the gun to Hancock for him to take a look down the scope. She pointed it towards the hostages and sighed heavily.

Hancock shook his head. "Well, so much for my idea of going in, guns blazin'. What do ya think we should do?"

"I'll get onto the roof of one of the houses on the other side of the neighborhood." She pointed to a house that was on the opposite side of the estates, as far from the cages as possible. "I'll start shooting them from up there, draw them away from the hostages. You get going down there and get them out. Then, flank the mutants from behind, as they should all be coming my way."

Hancock nodded. "Sounds like a good enough plan to me."

Cap nodded and shouldered her rifle. Before sliding down the hill to make her way to her perch, she looked over and smiled at him. "Be careful, partner."

* * *

The man in the white jumpsuit sat down in his cage, terrified at what was going on. He was told to get to Bunker Hill once he reached the surface. He would be safe there. People would help him there. But as soon as he made it out, he was faced with destruction, nothing like the world he had come from. It was dirty, harsh and desolate. What made it worse was that he had no idea where this Bunker Hill place even was! And now, here he sat in a cage, waiting to be torn apart by victims of the FEV virus.

The raider in the other cage had been trying for hours to break through the bars, but it was no use. There was just no room in the cages to get proper footing or leverage to break or bend the bars. The man in white didn't know if they were designed like that, or the mutants just got lucky with their construction of them.

Three Supermutants paced around the fire, working on setting up a meal for themselves, which would most likely contain the two people in the cages. Just then, a shot rang out through the approaching night air. The three stopped and looked around. One of their brothers on the other side of the base was crying out in pain before another shot silenced him. The group of mutants made their way over to look into the disturbance.

Once the hulking figures had left the light of the fire, the man heard rustling in the bush behind his cage. Out walk another new sight, a person who was horribly irradiated. His skin hung from his cheeks and forehead, his eyes were black as marbles, and his nose was missing from his face. The man in the jumpsuit let out a small yelp and pushed himself as far from that side of the cage as he could.

"Nice to meet you, too." Hancock said, tipping his hat back a bit and smiling. He lifted a steel crowbar he had picked up from the construction site nearby and set it in between the bars. With a hefty tug, he tried to separate the bars, making the space between them big enough for the man in the jumpsuit to climb through. When the bars wouldn't budge, he looked at the captive. "Mind pushing on the bar with me? Might be enough with two of us working at it."

The man, still in shock, nodded and pushed on the bar as Hancock pulled. The bar started to bend and eventually made a hole big enough for him to climb through. Once out, Hancock pointed to the bush that he had climbed out of. "Just hide in there until we get rid of all the muties, alright?" With another nod, the man tucked himself in amongst the leaves.

Hancock started on the other cage, the raider pushing as the mayor pulled. When the bars bent enough, the raider climbed out and took off at a sprint away from the compound. The ghoul chuckled and shook his head. "Typical. You're welcome!" He shouted after the fleeing ruffian.

Before Hancock could check on the man hiding in the bush, he heard a cacophony of bullets hit the metal exterior of one of the houses on the other side of the compound. "Shit…" He growled under his breath and took off towards the noise, his shotgun at the ready.

* * *

From her perch on the roof, Cap saw one of the supermutants fall to the ground through the smoke from her barrel. She readied another round and watched as the monstrosities turned their attention to her side of the nest. Hancock jumped from the bush he was hiding in, as intended, and she fired another shot, connecting with the head of one of the enemies in the compound. Then, a third shot put down a patrolling mutant. It wasn't until the fourth round was in the chamber of her firearm that she heard a strong, deep voice bellow, "THERE! ON THE ROOF!" Several bullets flew towards her sniper spot.

Lying flat on the roof, Evie crawled on her stomach along the shingles. She had a plan. Make it to the other side of the roof, shimmy down and sneak to another home. There, she would hold up until Hancock made it to her and they could clear the rest of the enemies together. The whole plan fell apart, however, when the roof began to crumble beneath her.

As the support under her lower body caved in, she was able to avoid the fall by catching a more solid portion of the roof with her upper body and elbows. However, with nothing to pull herself up with, and nothing to use to boost herself onto the roof with her feet, her legs dangled down into the house as two Supermutants rushed in.

Cap tucked her feet and legs up the best she could as the Supermutants stomped around the house to find a way up onto the roof. She closed her eyes tight and begged whatever powers that ran the universe to keep her hidden until Hancock got there. Unfortunately, the Powers-That-Be were not so generous. From under her feet, she heard the low laugh of a mutant. "FOUND YOU!" It shouted and grabbed her ankle, pulling her into the house. She slammed hard down on the damaged tile floor of a prewar kitchen. She rolled in pain and tried to make a break for the door, but the mutant grabbed her ankle again and pulled her up into the air. Dangling upside down from the grip of the Supermutant, she glared at it. "Put me down, you big asshole!"

The Supermutant laughed again. "Lady in BIG trouble now. Hammer is going to enjoy eating you!"

Cap spotted a flash of red and black running towards the house they were in. "I don't think so, big guy." She said as a blast from a shotgun ripped into the back of the mutant holding her. It howled in pain. As Hammer turned to a window to see Hancock's gun leveled with its back, Eve pulled a hunting knife from her boot and slashed at the mutants wrist, causing it to drop her.

She pulled out her .45 pistol and opened fire as she ran out of the house. Being in a confined space with a Supermutant was a sure fire way to get yourself killed. Back together again under the window, the two assessed the number of enemies left. Two in the house next to the one Hammer was in, two in the house Cap almost fell into, and one more on one of the walkways along the top of the wall that surrounded the fort. Evie motioned with her head for Hancock to take the two out from the house on the left, she would handle Hammer and its friend. They would deal with the last one once the rest were cleared out.

Hancock rushed towards the other house and disappeared inside. Cap peaked through the window that her ghoul companion used to lay a round into Hammer's back. Hammer was gone from view. _Shit._ She thought to herself until she heard the heavy steps of a Supermutant running around to meet her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a grenade. Pulling the pin, she waited until she saw the tip of Hammer's toe turn the corner to face her. She then tossed it at his feet and ran around the house to the backyard to avoid the shrapnel. After the BOOM, she glanced around the corner to see a teetering, but still standing, Hammer.

Hearing the stomping of the other Supermutant leaving the house, she worked fast and fired her pistol into Hammer's head, putting it down for good. Climbing up the rusted downspout from the gutters of the home, she scurried back onto the roof where she left her rifle. Threats from the Supermutant below her rang out as it tried to climb up to get her. She grabbed her rifle, and then fell down through the hole she had made earlier. Now fully armed, she ran through the front door of the house and turned the corner to see the back of the second Supermutant. Cap took aim and fired a round into the base of its skull, putting it out of its misery as quickly as possible.

Cap caught her breath and stretched out her back from her fall. _I'll be feeling THAT for the next few days, I'm sure…_ she thought to herself. From the house next to her, she saw Hancock leaving the house, some blood on his coat. He smiled and waved at her before falling to his knees on the front steps.

Cap ran to him, checking through the front window as she did so to see two very dead mutants in the living room of the second home. She slid on her knees and helped him to sit on the ground. "Where are you hit?"

Hancock winced in pain and pushed his jacket to the side. Lifting his shirt over his right hip, Cap saw a bullet wound on his side, blood pouring out of it. "This shit is gunna stain my coat." He said through gritted teeth.

"It's red. Red hides blood." Cap smirked and brought out a Stimpack. She stabbed the needle into his side, near the wound, to help it heal faster. Hancock yelped in surprise.

"Could've given me a heads up, Cap." He said but smiled at her. "Thanks."

Evie nodded and helped him to his feet once the wound was closed. Hancock pointed to the Supermutant still defending his post on the wall. "Ten caps says that you can't hit him through the neck."

"You really want to do this? Bet against my aim?" Cap asked with a chuckle. "Alright. Get ready to pay up." She said and brought the rifle to her eye. As she pulled the trigger, Hancock smacked her hard on her left buttocks. The bullet flew high and embedded itself into the Supermutant's head, killing it instantly. Pulling the gun away from her face in one quick motion, she looked at Hancock and glared.

The ghoul smiled and fixed his coat. "You owe me ten caps." He said and started to walk back to the fire that the Supermutants started to check on the captive in the jumpsuit. Cap glared after him. The thought of adding another bullet wound to the ghoul's foot did cross her mind, but she sighed and followed the mayor.


	13. A General, A Ghoul and a Synth

**Chapter 13: A General, a Ghoul and a Synth**

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the lengthy absence. Right after the holidays, work decided to be unbearable. I hope to get back to normal posting schedule. Thank you for your patience.**

* * *

Cap and Hancock walked back to the fire and approached the bush where the man in white was hiding. The young man climbed out, picking a twig out of his hair.

"You alright?" Cap asked with a friendly smile. She was relaxed and calm. The same could not be said about Hancock, who held his shotgun in his hands tightly. He had a weird feeling about this guy.

The man smiled nervously back at the pair. "Yes. Thank you for your help. I am…. Safe now… right?" He asked cap, eyeing the gun in her companion's hand.

Cap looked back at Hancock and chuckled. "You are. What's your name?"

The man wrung his hands nervously. He couldn't tell her that because he didn't have one. Trying to hide what he was, he not so subtly avoided the question. "I… Do you know how to get to Bunker Hill?"

Cap raised an eyebrow as the ghoul raised his shotgun. "Don't like this, Cap. Something isn't right about him."

The man in white yelped as a gun was pointed at him and held his hands up. "I-I don't know… I don't have a name, I…" He stammered before Cap pushed the barrel of the gun down gently and took a step towards the man.

"My name is Evelyn. This is John. We want to help you, but you need to trust us." She said in a soothing voice, her charisma well developed.

After a moment of hesitation, the man said in a soft voice, "H2-22. That's… that's my designation code." He said, lowering his eyes to the ground. He was warned not to talk to anyone outside of Bunker Hill, but what other choice did he have?

"A synth, huh?" Hancock stood next to Cap, a half step in front of her in a motion of protection, in case the machine before them decided to snap and attack. "Why do you want to go to Bunker Hill?" He asked, swinging his shotgun into it's holder in a show of trust.

"I was told there were people there that could help me. I… escaped from the Institute and was trying to walk there, but I was caught shortly after I arrived on the surface." He lifted his eyes to Hancock's. "Please. I… I just want to be free."

Cap looked to Hancock. She didn't know much about synths or their capability of deceiving others. She believed him but she left it up to her companion to decide how to proceed. Hancock sighed in response. "Well, you can't go walking around the Commonwealth with a name like H2-22…. Or in a crazy get up like this one your wearing." He looked around at the houses in the area. "I bet there are still some old clothes in one of these houses. You two wait here. I'll be right back." And with that, the mayor of Goodneighbor walked to the one of the nearby houses.

Cap watched him leave with a smile and then turned to H2. "So, let's think of a name. Have you thought of one that you really like?"

H2 shook his head. "Some of the others… like me… they make one up for themselves, but… I never really thought about it.

Cap crossed her arms and thought. "Hm… well, how about something that starts with H, like your designation. Hank? Neh, you don't seem like a Hank… Herbert? Harry?..."

"Henry." H2 blurted out. He smiled a little. "Sorry… I like the name Henry. I think… I think one of the scientists in the Institute was named Henry… I can't remember much from there, but I think that was his name.

Cap smiled and nodded. "Henry it is." She said as Hancock rejoined them, holding a blue jacket, grey pants and a pair of warn boots.

"It's not much but it should help you from being so damn conspicuous." He said and handed the clothes to H2.

"Hancock, meet Henry." Cap said with a smile. The ghoul grinned back to H2.

"Nice to meet ya, Henry." He said as the synth smiled a big smile before walking behind a house to change. Once he was in different clothing, the three started down the road to Bunker Hill. Cap and Hancock pointed out some of the things along the way, explaining what different plants did, how to find his way along the roads, and even the weak points of some of the animals that attacked them. Henry paid close attention, knowing he would need this information to survive.

"And there it is." Hancock said, pointing to the obelisk in the distance, the monument that stood in the middle of the trading outpost known as Bunker Hill.

"I can't believe we made it… I could never have gotten this far without you both." He said, his eyes wide with excitement and relief.

"Hey, it was nothing. Sorry your welcoming party to the Commonwealth was less than friendly." The ghoul joked. The three chuckled until they heard a loud voice boom over the city. The three looked up in time to see a giant air ship fly over the city. Lights scanned across the towering ruins of Boston as small aircrafts with two propellers launched themselves from the sides.

 ** _People of the Commonwealth. Do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful. We are the Brotherhood of Steel._** The speaker rang clear through every alleyway and street of the Commonwealth, turning everyone's attention upwards. As the airship flew over the three travelers, its shadow passed over them like a bad omen. It was heading straight for the old Boston airport.

"Ho-ly Shit…." Hancock said, his jaw hanging open as he and the other two watched the ship continue to its destination.

Cap sighed. "The Prydwin." She said, shaking her head.

"The what?" The ghoul retorted, spinning to look at her. "You've seen that thing before?"

Ev nodded. "Yeah, they built it in the DC Wasteland. That's where I was living before I came back to the Commonwealth. Cookie always said that they built it because they were compensating for something." She smirked.

Henry looked at the two of them, frightened. "Do we… have to shoot at that thing too?"

Cap looked at him and smiled. "No. Sorry. Let's get you to Bunker Hill, hm?"

* * *

"Trader, Caravan, or Raider?" A woman in a tan suit asked as the three approached the steps to Bunker Hill. The town was surrounded by a wall and the open gate was being guarded well.

"Kessler… it's been a while." Hancock said before Cap could respond. "How's the trade going? Daisy mentioned that she hasn't seen your caravans to Goodneighbor coming in as often. Hope everything is alright." He said, tipping his hat back to show his face.

"Hancock… Yeah, well it's dangerous making the trip that far into the ruins, but we will make sure they are reaching your shops." The woman responded.

"Great to hear. Mind if we make our way in? Been a long trip and I could use a drink."

Kessler thought for a second. "Alright. But keep your nose… well… stay out of trouble?" She stepped away from the gate and the three walked in.

Henry's head was on a swivel, taking in all of the new sights, sounds and, unfortunately, smells that the trading post had to offer. His attention was pulled back to the pair that were helping him when Ev asked, "So, who are you supposed to be meeting here?" She asked.

"Um… a man named Stockton." He replied, thinking back on what he was told before he left.

"He's one of the traders here. Come on." Hancock said and led the way to a small shop beneath the monument.

An old man in a suit and hat sat in a corner behind a small counter. He had grey hair, a mustache, and warm eyes. "Hello there. I can tell a group of tired wanders when I see one. What can I do for you?"

Cap put an arm around Henry's shoulder. "This guy has been fighting the wasteland to meet you. Hear he took on a Supermutant or two to get here." She said. Henry smiled and waved a little.

"To meet me? I'm… not sure I follow. You aren't one of my usual deliverywomen." The trader said, suspiciously. However, he insinuated that he may have an idea what Evelyn was talking about.

"Right, well the last delivery person didn't do their job." Cap replied. "So, I'm hoping you can take this, um…. Package… off our hands."

Stockton looked at the young man. In a low, very quiet voice, he asked, "What is your designation?"

Henry sighed. "H2-22"

Stockton smiled. "Oh thank god… we were so worried about you. It has taken you longer than expected to get here."

The synth returned his smile. "Well, I wouldn't have made it without my fr-, I mean… these two." He looked over at Cap and Hancock.

Hancock smirked and huffed out a laugh. "Don't get all sappy on us now."

Cap patted his shoulder. "You are in good hands now. You be safe, and don't go letting anyone push you around. Got it?" She said and let go of his shoulders.

Henry smiled at them. "Thank you. I have never met anyone as kind as you two. I… I wish I had something to give you."

Evelyn smiled. "You did. This little adventured isn't something we are likely to forget." She said and looked at Hancock. "Well?"

"Ready when you are. The grouch at County Crossing is still waiting to hear about the Supermutant nest we cleared out." Hancock replied. "Good luck, Hen. Be good, alright?" He smiled at the synth and they parted ways.

* * *

General Evelyn and Mayor Hancock walked back to County Crossing. Much of the debris had been picked up and the crops were in some sort of order again, though most were still smashed. When the man from before saw them coming, he jogged over to meet them. "Well… how did it go?"

Hancock crossed his arms and was about to snap back at the man, but Cap chimed in first. "It went well. Those Supermutants shouldn't be bothering you or anyone else from here on out." She said.

The man smiled. "That's the best news I have heard in a while. Thank you for your help. And… well… sorry for the way I acted before. We talked it over and we decided that if you came through for us, we would join the Minutemen. If we want things to start getting better, we all have to stick together, right?"

Cap smiled and nodded. "Right you are. Glad to hear you'll be coming along for the ride. Here, let me give you the radio frequency to reach Sanctuary. That's where we are working out of. For now."

After the man wrote the channel on a scrap piece of paper, he shook both of their hands in thanks, and bid them farewell as he returned to his homestead. A lot more needed to be repaired.

* * *

A half a day later, Cap and Hancock made it back to Sanctuary and were greeted by her mercs. They, along with Preston, had made it back in one piece and completed their tasks. They regrouped in a yellow house in Sanctuary. The group and Sturges took seats on the couches and chairs in the prewar living room and relaxed with a meal of brahmin stew. After filling each other in on what happened, including the arrival of the Prydwin and the final outcome of each of the settlements joining the Minutemen's cause, they started to plan their next move.

"So… three settlements under our flag." Boomer said with a smile.

"Four if you count sanctuary." Sturges replied.

"It's a good start." Cap said, leaning back on her spot on the couch.

"Well, there are a few more settlements that radioed for help. I guess word of this radio frequency is spreading." Preston replied. "We may need to move to a bigger operation soon."

"First things first. What settlements need help?" Ev asked.

"Well, Oberland Station called because one of their settlers was taken by raiders. Asked for a hefty ransom."

"What?! Why are we sitting around then?!" Boomer asked, jumping to his feet. Before anyone could stop him, he was rushing out the door.

"Well, it was nice seeing everyone..." Twoey huffed and raced after his friend.

Cap sighed with a smirk. "Well, that one is being handled. Any others calling for help?"

"Yeah, one other. A settlement is being pestered by some bugs. Small stuff, but it'll be good for PR." Sturges said.

"Well, want to go squash some bugs?" She asked Hancock.

"Supermutant nests, bug infested locales… You always take me to the nicest places." He said to her with a smile. "I'm game."

"Then Cookie and I can start to work on our next target. I'll explain when you get back. We are going to need a few extra Minutemen for it, so we'll go recruit some people." Preston said.

Cap nodded. "Well, back to work then."


	14. Taffington Boathouse

**Chapter 14: Taffington Boathouse**

 **A/N: This is just a short chapter to bring more people into the story. It was a bit tough to write as I rewrote it a few times. More to come as the Minutemen take on the Castle. Stay tuned for that chapter, coming in the next week or so.**

* * *

"This isn't the way that the settlers at Greentop Nursery told us to go." Cap said, looking around to try to place where they were.

"Course not. They didn't know about the short cut." Hancock said with a smug smile as they walked down the road.

"Shortcut? They said it was right down the road from them. How much shorter do you want?" She replied with a humorless laugh.

"Look, if we went right at the boat house, we would have ran right into a nest of raiders. I am just trying to save us some bullets." The ghoul retorted. "Relax and enjoy the walk."

She sighed and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat. "Fine. How much longer until we get there? Garvey said that he was going to need us pretty soon."

"Few more minutes and we'll be there, I think… wait." Hancock held up his hand to stop her. He made a motion with his head towards three figures standing underneath an overpass. "Seems like trouble."

"Well, when has that ever stopped us, hm?" She asked and brought out her rifle. "Let's go see if they need anything."

* * *

"I told ya, I'm just trying to pay you two assh-… to you two off. Just take the caps and leave. Don't bother me anymore." The sniper in the hat and beaten trench coat said through gritted teeth. McCready glared at the two men before him. He had brought every cap he could scrounge up to try to get the Gunners off of his back. He knew it was a mistake to meet them out in the open by himself, but he didn't have much choice. He felt the pressure from the gang closing in on him all the time and he couldn't even sleep at night thanks to his constant need to look over his shoulder lest he get stabbed in the back.

"And I said it ain't enough. There's interest on it." Winlock replied, a smile spreading across his face. His combat armor bore the sign of the Gunners skull. He tossed the bag of caps in the air to test it's weight. "But I'll tell you what. We'll be square once we put a bullet in ya." He chuckled.

Barnes, Winlock's partner and co-bonehead leader of their gang brought out a pistol and aimed it at McCready's head before the sniper could pull out his rifle to defend himself. He glared at the two, pissed off that he was stupid enough to trust them. "Scumbags… the both of you." He spat at them, watching Barnes prepare to pull the trigger.

A shot rang out as a bullet from a high powered combat rifle smashed into the pistol in the Gunner's hand. He shrieked in pain and dropped the weapon, looking at the approaching pair. Winlock moved to pull out his piece but stopped when he caught sight of Hancock's shotgun close to his side.

"Well well… What have we here? Evening, McCready." The mayor said with a smirk. "Getting into some trouble?"

McCready smiled and pulled out his rifle. "You could say that." He said and swiped the bag of caps back from Winlock. "You do have good timing."

"Well, I aim to please." Hancock chuckled. "And who are your friends?"

"Looks like gunners to me." Cap said, holding up her rifle to aim at Barnes. "I hate Gunners."

"Look… our problem is with McCready, Mayor Hancock… He owed us money. We were just taking what he owed." Barnes said, still holding his hand.

"No, I didn't owe you anything. I was paying you two off to leave me the Hell alone." McCready responded and sneered. "But you two were going to put a bullet in me instead."

"Well, then it's up to you what we do with 'em, McCready. Do we put 'em down so they don't cause any more trouble?" Hancock inquired.

The sniper thought for a moment and shook his head. "Let 'em go. They aren't worth the bullets. But just remember that you owe me now. Stay off my back…" He growled at the pair. With that, the two Gunners ran off. Once they were out of site, the three put their guns away. "Thanks for that, Hancock."

"Hey, no problem. Just glad we came along when we did." The mayor said with a smile. "McCready, I'd like you to meet Evelyn. The General of the Minutemen."

Evie smiled and reached out to shake his hand. "You can call me Cap." She said.

McCready shook her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet ya. What are you two doing way out here?"

"Looking for Taffington Boathouse. There is supposed to be a bunch of bloodbugs that need clearing out." Cap replied.

"The Boathouse? That's about a mile or so North of here." McCready replied.

Cap shot Hancock a glare. "A mile north of here, hm?" She said and crossed her arms.

Hancock shrugged with the same smug smirk from earlier. "Never said I was good with directions."

Cap rolled her eyes. "Care to join us, McCready? We could use a good gun on our side."

"Sounds like a plan. I guess I owe you guys one, anyway." He said and shouldered his gun. "You point and I'll shoot."

* * *

The Taffington Boathouse was a small house on the waterfront that was once the temporary home to a few settlers. Their bodies still littered the building and were drained of all of their blood thanks to the bugs that were still infesting the home. As big and disgusting as they were, they were easy pickings for the three shooters and it wasn't long before the buzzing inside had stopped.

As Cap searched around the building for spare parts to construct a small radio beacon, Hancock and McCready explored the surrounding areas, clearing out any other bloodbug nests they came across.

"So, who's the girl?" McCready asked Hancock. The two didn't know each other too well, but there was an understanding between them. The mayor let McCready look for work as a mercenary out of the Third Rail, and the sharpshooter would help defend the town against attacks.

"An old friend that has been doin' some damn fine work since she came back to the Commonwealth." Hancock replied, blasting another bug as they walked.

"A friend, huh? You two seem… close." The sniper said and bounced his eyebrows at Hancock with a smile.

Hancock huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "Neh, nothing like that. She's got a lot goin' for her. Just took over the Minutemen, has run a successful mercenary group for the past few years. Even owns a business in Goodneighbor."

"Oh right… the Maiden Inn… Heard that's more of a charity then a business." McCready replied.

"Hey, whatever it is, it ain't a bad thing. People could use more places like that." The ghoul replied. "I don't want to make things harder for her, or ruin anything so… I'm happy just to be helpin' her out."

They walked back towards the Boathouse in silence just as they saw Cap attaching a satellite to the roof while she hung out of the second story window.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Hancock asked, looking up from the front of the house.

Cap shrugged and continued to work. With a few more twists from a screw driver, and a wiggle to test how tightly the dish was connected to the building, she smiled proudly down at them. "There it is. One radio beacon to draw in settlers." She said. "Turn on the radio in the kitchen, see if it is working."

McCready chuckled and walked in to the dilapidated kitchen. Turning on the radio and adjusting the frequency, he smiled as a crackled, recorded message started to come through. "Hey, it works!" He shouted.

Hancock smiled up at her. "Anything you can't do?"

"Fly." Cap said with another shrug and a smile. "Then again, I don't think I've tried yet." She tucked herself back into the window and came down to meet the two out front. "Well, I think that does it for us here."

"How the hell did you know how to build that?" McCready asked with a smirk.

"Believe it or not, Boomer is really good at tinkering with things. One time, we were on a job where we needed to communicate with a settlement in the Capitol Wasteland, Megaton. We didn't want to keep sending a runner back and forth, so Boomer set up this short wave transmitter that allowed us to send simple messages back and forth. Made the work so much easier. I've picked up a few things from him." Cap started to lead the way away from the Boathouse.

"I'm impressed." Hancock said. "Maybe I'll hire you to fix the radio in the State House. Damn thing has been broken for ages."

The three made their way back to Sanctuary to see what this grand plan that Garvey was cooking up was.


	15. A Little R & R

**_Chapter 15: A Little R & R_**

* * *

 ** _A/N: Sorry for the delay. I wanted to make this chapter longer but time constraints are leading me to break it up into two. So, I will post another chapter tonight or tomorrow. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

Cap and Hancock made their way back to Sanctuary with McCready in tow. As they entered the town, they were welcomed by the familiar sight of the people of the settlement going about their daily business. Towards the center of the winding neighborhood, the trio spotted a few new faces all wearing hats similar to Garvey's and carrying laser muskets.

"Hm… new minutemen?" Hancock suggested with a shrug.

"Looks like it." Cap replied as they continued on their walk towards the yellow house in the center of the settlement, which had turned into their meeting place. Before they could reach the doors, Preston jogged out the door and up to Cap, an excited smile on his face.

"Cap. Welcome back. Did everything go ok?" He asked, not looking at the other two men standing near Evelyn.

"Yup. Everything went well. See you found some new recruits." She said and nodded to the three new Minutemen, who nodded back in response.

Garvey looked excited. 'Yeah, we sent a radio signal out and a few joined our ranks while you were gone." He finally spotted McCready and his smile faltered. "I see you recruited some new help too."

Cap looked back and nodded. "Preston, meet-"

"I know who he is." Garvey said, shortly. "Well, we need all the help we can get… even if it's hired, I guess."

"Whoa, big guy. I owe Cap here a favor for saving my skin. Believe it or not, she isn't even paying me to be here. So watch it, huh?" The mercenary shot back, his arms crossed in front of him.

"And, need I remind you, Cap ran a mercenary group before taking control of your little militia here, so… they can't all be bad." Hancock added.

"Boys, enough." Ev finally stepped in. "You're right Preston, we need all of the help we can get right now. Our troop numbers are low and the Commonwealth is a big place. So he is here to help us for as long as he wants to stay."

"Thanks, boss." McCready replied.

Preston sighed again and nodded. "Alright, well I think we should get going. If we leave now, we should be at the Castle by nightfall." He said, looking at the setting sun. "It'll be close, but we are all packed and r-"

"Timeout." Hancock stepped forward, his hands in the shape of a "T". "Look, Preston… I know you want to save the world before midnight, but Cap and I have been on the road for a few days without so much as a good night's rest. Neither one of us are going to be much use in a fight if we trek all the way across the wasteland to the Castle. Hell, the General doesn't even know where that place is. So how about we rest up today, get a good meal in us for once, and we head out first thing tomorrow morning, hm?" He asked.

Preston grunted in annoyance. "Alright… fine. First thing in the morning. But I don't want to hear any lip about heading out early."

Hancock saluted with a smile. "No problem, boss."

"Alright. General, I have some things to discuss with you anyway. Let's head inside. I'll make sure that Cookie starts to work on dinner." Preston motioned for the new recruits to enter the yellow house. Hancock and McCready started to follow but Preston shot them a look to stay behind.

"Official Minutemen business. Got it." McCready replied, and he and Hancock walked to the cooking fire, where Cookie was already at work. The mayor looked over his shoulder at Cap as she walked into the house and was greeted by a loud cheer and warm welcome from the rest of her squad.

* * *

After dinner, the whole settlement was seated around the cooking fire, listening to one of Boomer's wild tales. Hancock slipped away during the part where the raiders were chasing him through a cave in nothing but his underwear. He made his way up a winding path out of town, heading up a hill. At the top sat the entrance to Vault 111.

Walking across the metal surface, Hancock sat down on the edge, where the giant opening met the dirt. Pulling out a Jet inhaler, the ghoul grimaced a bit at the motion and took a hit from the chem. He stretched his legs out in front of him and took in the view of the twilight sky over the Commonwealth. It was peaceful, calm, a good place to think.

And he had a lot to think about lately. Like what Cap taking over the Minutemen meant for the Commonwealth. Could they really stop all of the raiders, the gangs, and the supermutants out in the wastes? Could they stop the Institute even? And then what? If all of their enemies were gone, what would that mean for him and Cap? They wouldn't need to travel together anymore. Would they split?

The thoughts of the future were pushed aside when he heard footsteps on the metal door behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Evelyn walking towards him, wrapped in a blanket to keep out the chill. She smiled at him and he patted the spot next to him for her to sit.

"Thought you had left town or something." She joked and sat next to him.

"What, skip out on ya? Neh. I think we got a good thing goin'." He said and took another puff from the inhaler.

Cap's eyes fell on the canister and she lit a cigarette. "Why do you use chems?" She asked, pointing to the inhaler.

Hancock looked down at it and shrugged. "Something to do to pass the time." He lied and looked at her. His smile fell a bit as he continued. "Being a ghoul… it has its pros and cons. Pro, I get to live for a long damn time. I got tough skin and radiation actually makes me feel better, not worse. Cons, the radiation does a number on cartilage in your body." He added, pointing to what was left of his nose. "Case in point." He put the inhaler back in his pocket.

Cap nodded. "I can see that." She said with a smile.

"Yeah. And I talked to a traveling doctor who came through Goodneighbor shortly after I took over as Mayor. He said that joints are made from cartilage and that most ghouls experience pain from bones rubbing together and shit. I guess I'm most ghouls." He continued and leaned back, resting his weight on his hands and arms. "So, the drugs help a bit with that too, I guess."

Cap nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose." She said and looked up at the sky with a smile. Hancock didn't find the look of judgement he always got after someone asked him about his chem use. He didn't hear the usual warnings and condescending responses that people gave him all the time. It was nice to avoid that whole talk, and to see Cap was different. A silence fell between the two friends as they gazed up into the night sky for a few brief moments.

"Can I ask you something, Cap?"

"Fire away."

"What do you think will happen if you finally make the Commonwealth safe? No more raiders, no more Institute even. What then?" Hancock asked, looking over at her.

She didn't meet his eyes, but leaned back like he was. "I don't know, really. I don't even know if that's all possible. Making the Commonwealth completely safe? Seems like one of Preston's pipedreams." She said and chuckled. "Maybe head back to the Capital Wasteland. Still have friends there and I want to make sure they are all safe." She said. "Maybe find a new place out there that needs a crazy group of mercenaries to save the day. Who knows?"

Hancock smirked and chuckled at her response. "That's a fair answer. I just… I'd hate to lose ya again." He said in a lower voice.

"Oh yeah? You like having me around again?" She asked, pulling her eyes from the stars and into his black ones.

"You kiddin' me, right? 'Course I like havin' you here. Hell, I missed just seeing your face. Almost forgot what it looked like." He said.

Cap placed her hand on his. "I'm not going anywhere without my ghoul companion again. I'm sorry I ever had to go." She said and moved closer to Hancock, there arms linked as they leaned back to watch the stars together, like they did in the old days.

Hancock smiled and put an arm around her, pulling her close to him. His whole plan of keeping his distance from her to keep her safe started to fall apart. His idea that she wouldn't have anything to do with him, the way he looked and acted, seemed to slip away as he looked down at her. "Cap?"

He said softly. She looked up at him with her soft smile. He didn't know what came over him as he leaned towards her. She didn't lean away at all from him. As their lips were about to touch, a shout came from behind them.

"General! I think we nailed down a plan for retaking the Castle again!" Preston called, walking up the dirt path to the entrance to Vault 111.

Hancock cringed and withdrew from his action, looking over his shoulder at the approaching Minuteman. Cap chuckled a little, looked back at John and kissed his cheek. "See you back in the settlement." She said and stood up. Wrapping the blanket around her, she walked to Preston, waving to him. The pair walked back to Sanctuary together, Garvey talking quickly about his plan.

The ghoul cursed under his breath and looked back at the sky. A smile spread across his face when he thought back on his encounter. Ev didn't pull away. She didn't cringe or push him from her. Maybe there was hope after all.


	16. Clearing the Castle

**Clearing the Castle**

* * *

 **A/N: As promised, part two! Looking forward to going on to the next part of their story, but I needed to get through the battle for the Castle.**

* * *

The next morning, as the sun broke the horizon, the Minutemen, Mercenaries, Hancock and McCready all met up with their travel packs, ready to hit to road on the way to the Castle. Once known as Fort Independence, the Castle was the old stronghold of the Minutemen before their downfall. After some strife between the leaders of the organization, and an attack from a sea monster as Preston put it, the fort was no longer under their control.

The fort itself sat on the west most part of Boston, along the ocean coast. Tall walls made of stone bricks would provide the perfect place for the Minutemen to rebuild from. The only problem was that the monsters still inhabited the structure.

When the group of nine reached the fort, they took shelter in a nearby store. The mercenary squad looked in awe at the massive structure. Though the wall closest to them had fallen, the rest of the fort looked amazingly intact for being a few centuries old.

"So, what's the plan?" Twoey asked, looking from Preston to Cap.

Cap walked to the window and pointed to either side of the gaping hole in the wall. "We create a pincer attack. Half of our group will go to the left and up to the top of the wall, the rest will go to the right. We'll clear out the mirelurks that we find along the top walkway, and then we start to clear the courtyard."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Boomer said with a smile.

"Just be careful. I don't know what we will face once we get further into the fort. If that… sea monster, or whatever caused the Minutemen to flee is still around, I don't want any heroics. Just a clean sweep, alright?" Cap asked, looking at everyone around her.

They all nodded in agreement. Preston led the new recruits and McCready up the left side of the wall, as Cap lead her mercs, along with Hancock, up the right. With little opposition along the top of the fort, the giant crabs in the courtyard didn't stand a chance against the firepower of the attacking group. The mercs and the Minutemen made easy work of clearing the fort.

Preston, Cap and Cookie took to clearing out all of the mirelurk eggs within the walls of the Castle, as the rest of the group took out any of the nests in the courtyard. After a few were cleared out, Twoey stopped his attack, listening.

"What is it?" Boomer asked, putting another round into a nest full of eggs, making sure the little hatchlings were wiped out.

"I… heard something…." Twoey said and walked to the blown out gap in the wall, looking out at the water. From the depths rose a hulking shell of a Mirelurk Queen, a monster that towered over the walls of the Castle. It's thick shell and powerful claws made it a force to be reckoned with. "Fall back!" Twoey yelled and dove behind the wall just in time to avoid the spit attack of radioactive water that the big mama flung at the merc.

Boomer charged ahead, bringing out his rocket launcher. Once at the opening in the wall, he leveled the massive weapon at the queen, aimed, and fired a shot, hitting it in its stomach. "Bullseye!" He shouted and laughed, loading another round into his launcher. While he was doing so, the monster recovered far faster than the merc expected. "Boomer, look out!" Twoey shouted.

As the explosives expert looked up, he was blinded by the radioactive water that was hurled at him from the beast. He screamed as the water hit his eyes, causing him to drop his weapon and frantically rub at them. Through his blurred vision, he looked up to see the giant mirelurk approach him. He stood still, stunned and petrified with fear as the large claw hung over his head, ready to strike.

"Move, Boom!" Cap called, running from one of the doorways. When it was clear that her companion was not able to avoid the attack, she rushed towards him and dove, knocking him out of the way. The large claw dug into her back, making her shout in pain. The large gash started to bleed as she rolled away from the second claw and grabbed the rocket launcher. She took aim and fired, hitting the Mirelurk queen in the face. The monster stumbled back, but wobbled on her feet.

Cap, afraid that the queen would regain its composure and strike again, pulled out a grenade. She knew that she was far too close to avoid taking damage from the blast, but with no better alternatives, she hurled the explosive at the legs of her enemy and covered her face and neck.

The frag grenade exploded, sending shrapnel into the underbelly of the beast. It shrieked in pain and fell over in a heap, dead. However, a good amount of the metal fragments embedded into Cap, and the force of the explosion sent her tumbling backwards. She groaned in pain and reached into her pocket for a Stimpack. However, before she could administer the fix, her hand went weak and she blacked out. The last thing she saw was Hancock's black leather boots running towards her.

* * *

In a quick rush, the world flew back at Cap, causing her to sit up straight in the bed she laid on. She held her head, which was now throbbing, and looked around.

"Easy there, Cap… Not too fast." Cookie said, sitting in a chair next to her bed. He smiled at her. "Welcome back."

"What the hell happened?" She asked, her voice sounding rough from not being used in quite some time.

"Well, you blew yourself up in order to take out that Mirelurk Queen. You don't remember throwing that grenade?" He asked, handing her a class of clean water.

She took a sip and slowly nodded. "Yeah… I remember that… Is it dead?"

"Yeah, it's dead." Cookie chuckled.

"Is Boomer ok?" She asked.

"He's alright. Thought he would have problems with his eyes after the attack. But he seems to be back to normal. It took a day or so to clear up though." Cookie replied.

"A day or so…. How long have I been out?"

"Only two days. Hancock got a Stimpack in you pretty quickly, but there was a lot of blood loss. Took a while for your body to build your strength up."

"Damn." She said and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Cookie, frowned and shook his head.

"Don't push it too far, Cap." He warned.

"Come now, Cookie…" She chuckled and stood up. She felt dizzy and almost fell back to her bed, but fought back and took a few tentative steps. The feeling faded away and she slipped her jacket on.

Cookie sighed heavily. "Well, just to fill you in on what we have been up to while you were being lazy, we finished clearing out all of the eggs, and cleaned up the place. These rooms wreaked of dead fish and seaweed, but I think we got it pretty well cleaned up. Smell is not nearly as bad as it was." He said and led the way out of the General's quarters to the courtyard.

All around, the Minutemen were busy clearing out the nests and trash, and some were even taking measurements to rebuild the gaps in the walls. When they saw their General, they all rushed to her to check on her. Preston pushed his way to the front.

"You alright, General? You had us worried." He said with a smile.

"Never better." She lied and looked around. "The place looks great!"

"It's getting there. We were able to fix the radio and set up a broadcast. We are reaching all corners of the Commonwealth with Radio Freedom." He replied, pointing to the makeshift radio station in the center of the fort

Cap smirked. "Wow. Good work! Everyone doing alright? We didn't lose anyone, I hope."

"Neh, everyone made it through the fight." Hancock said and smiled at her, standing to Preston's left. "Good to see you back on your feet. Thought you were goin' back on you promise already." He winked.

Cap shook her head, her smile wider. "Course not. Too much work to do to leave now." She looked around, not seeing Boomer. "Where's my explosives expert?"

"He is up on guard duty. Probably didn't want to leave his post." Twoey said, pointing over his shoulder to the guard post just beyond the wall.

Cap thanked everyone for their concern and well wishes, and then made her way to the guard post. "You mean I save your sorry skin and you're not even going to welcome me back to the realm of the living?" She joked as she got closer to the guard post.

Boomer looked over at her and smiled nervously. "Oh, hey Cap. You're looking a lot better." He said with an awkward chuckle.

Ev looked at him suspiciously. "Yeah, that was a convincing display of sincere concern. What's up? You ok?" She asked.

Boomer's smile vanished from his face and he looked down at his feet before returning his eyes out to the surrounding area. "No, I'm not ok. I froze. I panicked. And it's my fault that you almost got killed." He said in a low voice.

Cap walked up the stairs of the post and stood next to him. "Come on, Boomer. You know that's not true."

"Yes it is." He replied, turning his head from her. "Had I not been so stupid, you wouldn't have had to run in like you did… You should have left me to take the hit, Cap." He said.

She looked at him for a second and then hit the back of his head. "You would have done the same for me, or Cookie, or Twoey… hell, maybe even Preston." She said with a smile. "That happens to all of us. We all get scarred sometimes."

"You don't." He said and sighed. "Cap, I have never seen you so much as flinch when something goes to Hell."

"Like Hell I don't." She laughed. "You don't think I was afraid when I saw that Mirelurk coming straight at you? But I knew you needed help. And nothing was going to stop me from getting you out of there. If the roles were reversed, you would have done the same."

Boomer looked to her for a second or two, than smiled. "Thanks Cap. Really. Don't know where I would be without you."

Cap put an arm around his shoulder. "Probably in a ditch somewhere." She joked, making him laugh it off. She spent the rest of his shift talking with him as he filled her in on all that she missed before they both went to grab dinner, Mirelurk Steak Stew.


	17. True Colors

_**True Colors**_

* * *

It had been a little over a week since the Castle was retaken. Cap had to take it easy for the first few days while she recovered, so she depended on her team, Preston, and the new recruits to respond to calls from across the Commonwealth. With the new radio station up and running, settlements across the wasteland started to see that the Minutemen were back.

With the resurgence of the Minutemen came a flock of new recruits from all across the Boston Ruins. One or two a day were trickling in at first, but by the end of the week, small groups of four or five started making their way to the Castle.

To keep up with the demands of the forming army, Cap put Cookie in charge of maintaining the Castle. This included ensuring all new recruits had a bedroll, trading caravans stopped by at least once a day to trade supplies, and that the meals were prepared in the morning and at night. Cookie enjoyed the job. He was able to meet everyone that came into the Castle, and was the go-to person for everything they needed; something that Preston admitted has never been done by a Ghoul before.

Preston was in charge of organizing the squads that patrolled the wasteland and helped settlers who called in. Twoey was the commanding force out in the field, and would make sure everyone made it back at the end of the fight. Though he wasn't used to talking so much, the new recruits started to look up to him and followed his orders to the letter.

Boomer was on base defense, and helped some of the other, more tech-savvy recruits set up well placed turrets. While he was hooking up electricity to the turrets, he ran additional lighting around the Castle, lighting it up like a beacon of hope when the night crawled in.

Even Hancock and McCready helped out with whatever Boomer was working on, and training the green troops that didn't know how to hold a gun, let alone shoot one. Hancock would teach anyone who wanted to learn how to fire a shotgun or in hand to hand combat. McCready, who saw how bad some of the new "snipers" were, couldn't take seeing them shoot with such poor aim and reluctantly taught them a few tips so they wouldn't get themselves, or anyone else, killed.

Cap, on the other hand, spent most of the day in the General's Quarters, organizing troop placement, setting up plans for new settlement locations, and even started to create checkpoints to cut down on the ability for raiders to pass through the roads freely. Securing trade lines between settlements was also a major focus for her. Supply lines were crucial for any army. She asked Cookie to also organize a small farm outside of the walls of the Castle to cut down on costs of feeding the troops. As their forces grew, she knew they had to sustain what they had built.

For a week and a day, Cap didn't leave her quarters. She would work all day, take her meals at her table while she continued to work, and would often be found sleeping on the table when Preston came back to see her in the morning. Despite the nightly meal where all occupants of the Castle would meet and relax at the end of the day, Cap was never able to join them. Hancock, for one, started to feel like he barely saw her anymore, and the troops were grumbling that maybe she thought she was too good to eat with her army.

At the end of the day, Hancock walked into her quarters, pushing the doors open hard as he could to get her attention. She looked up after a second or two and smile. "Hey John. What do I owe the pleasure?" She said, in a friendly, yet tired, tone.

"Alright, that's enough. Come on. You're coming to dinner." He said and walked next to her, grabbing her arm and trying to lift her out of her chair.

Cap pulled her arm free. "I have too much to do. I need to organize a few more squads to head out in the morning. I will grab some food in a few minutes."

Hancock shook his head and wouldn't relent. "Nope. You are coming now. Have Preston finish up. You need to get outta this office and mingle. People are starting to forget who the hell they are fighting for. Cause right now, they aren't happy."

Cap looked at him with a smirk. "Should I stand on top of the wall and give a speech like a certain mayor I know?"

The ghoul chuckled as he finally got her to her feet. "Neh. Just go have dinner with 'em. Come on. Cookie's got this new kid making dinner, and I swear he gives the old ghoul a run for his money."

Cap sighed and walked towards the door. When Hancock let go of her arm, she linked hers with his, making him smile. They walked together to the end of the hall, where tables, chairs, and a bar had been set up. Everyone who was eating stopped and turned to see Cap, who had let go of her escort before walking through the doors. They all stared in silence for a minute before Boomer finally stood up.

"Well, it's about damn time, boss!" He said and everyone else laughed, breaking the tension. Cap walked to the bar, was given a meal by a young man of Asian descent. With black hair, dark eyes and a friendly smile, he was much easier on the eyes then Cookie was; probably helped to keep people's appetites, too.

Cap sat at an empty seat with a few of the new recruits, talking with them about their concerns and what they hope the Minutemen would do. Some wanted revenge for raiders killing their loved ones, others just wanted to help make a difference in the world that they were all forced to live in. Just talking with them made Cap feel more dedicated than ever to make the Minutemen work this time.

As some of the Minutemen started to make their way to their bunks and bedrolls, the guard stationed to watch the roads ran in and straight to Cap. "General! There is someone in the courtyard who wishes to speak with you. Says he is a friend. I think he has a synth with him." The whole room fell silent when the word synth was mentioned. Cap just smiled and stood up.

"I think I know who that is." She said and walked out of the room, Hancock right beside her. As she walked out of the hallway, she was faced with Ryan and Nick, the first grinning from ear to ear. Ryan looked more like a wasterlander than ever before. His hair was outgrown and was covered in dust and dirt. His clothes were now ripped and torn, with pieces of metal armor laying over the top of them. His eyes, too, looked colder then she remembered them. However, when the Vault Dweller saw her, he ran at her and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up into a hug.

Cap laughed and hugged him back, smiling at him. "It's good to see you, Ryan! So glad you are still kickin'!" She said as she was in the air. Hancock crossed his arms with a smirk. Inside, though, he felt jealous. He didn't really know this guy, as Cap only mentioned him once or twice, but there was something about him he didn't like. Mainly, he didn't like that he had his arms around Cap.

"We found it. We found a way into the institute!" Ryan said softly to her as he put her down.

"What?! Really! That's great! How? How do you get in?" She asked, pulling her arms off of his shoulders.

"Teleportation. They use a… a relay or something to teleport people in or out. It looks like it is the only way." He said and smiled at her.

"There has to be another way, but hell… that might be the most direct!" Cap said, matching his excitement. "Wow, so how do we build a teleporter?" She noticed Nick standing just behind and off to the side of Ryan and she nodded a hello to him, her smile widening, which he returned.

"I have blueprints, but… I can't build this kind of thing. I was hoping one of your people know more about tinkering than I do." He said and pulled out a folded piece of paper with almost illegible writing on it. He showed it to her and Cap thought for a moment.

"I think this is even too big for Boomer, but… What about Sturges?" By this time, other Minutemen had walked into the courtyard, including Preston. He stood next to the General and looked at the paper.

"Yeah… I bet he could get it up and running. I can send a team to go pick him up and bring him here in the morning. He could be here by the following day and then get to work on it." Preston agreed with a nod.

"Looks big, though." Cap continued. "We have some space in the corner of the Castle you can use to build it though. Should be plenty of room."

"Thanks. I knew I could count on you." Ryan said, his eyes locked on Cap, making Hancock's hands ball into fists. He knew that look.

"Anytime! Now, come on. Let's get you something to eat. Nick, you need anything?" Cap asked, taking Ryan's arm to lead him to the bar.

"Wouldn't mind sitting for a spell." He said and followed them. The Minutemen and Preston followed the new comer and synth into the eatery, leaving Hancock outside, staring after them, trying to fight back the urge to deck Ryan. After a second or two, he walked to the bar as well. He could use a drink.

* * *

The next morning, Hancock took his post as the morning guard. Ghouls didn't need a lot of sleep. Hell, he went days without rest on plenty of occasions, so taking the first shift to watch over the Castle was fine by him. He found that the most beautiful time of the day was at sunrise, when the sky burst with light and color as the sun rose over the horizon.

He stood on top of the wall, enjoying a cigarette with his shotgun in his other hand. He watched the early light creep up over the city and sighed, still calming down from last night's unexpected arrival. He couldn't get Cap out of his mind, how she wrapped her arms around that Ryan guy, how she smiled at him… but more importantly, how he smiled at her. It made him cringe.

No more than five minutes after the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, Hancock heard boots hit the metal stairs behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Ryan walking up to him. Without a word, Hancock turned to look back at the cityscape. Ryan stood next to him and they watched the scene in silence for a minute.

Hancock offered Ryan a smoke without uttering a word, which the smoothskin waved off. After another moment or two of silence, the wastelander finally spoke.

"So… You're Mayor Hancock, huh? Haven't really had the chance to talk with you.

Hancock nodded. "Nice to finally have the pleasure." He said back, still looking out in front of him.

"You, uh… you travel a lot with Ev, right?" He asked, which made Hancock's throat tighten. That was his name for Cap. Not many others used it, but he didn't understand why it would bother him that Ryan would say it.

"Yup. Her and I are close." He replied.

"That's nice. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me. She can be a little wild, I hear." Ryan chuckled.

"Trust me. There's a lot of things Cap needs, but protection ain't one of 'em. She can handle herself better than anyone I've ever met." The ghoul replied.

The man nodded with a smirk. "I bet." He said and the silence fell between them again. And again, Ryan broke it. "Does she… mention me at all? While you were traveling?" Ryan asked.

"No." Hancock said, a bit too quickly. He tossed the burnt out cigarette off the wall and lit another one immediately, trying to keep himself calm.

The wastelander smirked, seeing how uncomfortably the fearsome Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor was about this conversation. "She's beautiful, isn't she? Lovely features, long, dark hair… and that fighting spirit of hers. You just don't find that in many women out here." He waited for Hancock to reply, but nothing came. Ryan continued. "You have a thing for her, don't you?"

Hancock's grip on his shotgun tightened but he didn't respond. His jaw was set hard as he continued to smoke his cigarette. Ryan, on the other hand, chuckled at the thought.

"Oh god… you do!" He said between chortles. "You gotta be kidding me. You think you have a chance with her?" Again, Ryan waited for a response and again, Hancock didn't give him one.

"Listen. Mayor. It's ok to have feelings for her. Hell, I bet she has broken hundreds of hearts out there that she never meant to. But, think about it… She deserves better than you. She's strong, capable… She's the leader of the Minutemen, for God's sake. You think she would want a drug addicted ghoul as a partner? As someone to be with?" Ryan paused to let it sink into Hancock's mind. Hancock's eyes wandered down to the ground just below the wall.

"Look, I'm not the bad guy here. I just think it's time that you realize that what you think you have with her… you don't. Look at you. Think about what you are. It's selfish of you to think that you have a chance with her. The longer you stay around her, the harder it will be for both you and Evelyn. Don't you think it would be better if you just left? Go home, Hancock. Go back to where you belong." Ryan crossed his arms and waited for the ghoul to respond.

Hancock smirked a little and looked over to him. "Ya done?" He asked.

Ryan smiled and nodded. "Yeah…. I'm done." He said and turned towards the stairs. "Do the right thing for once, Hancock." He said before walking down the metal staircase.

Hancock rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. What if Ryan was right? What if Cap didn't care for him in the way he cared for her? Was he being selfish, trying to push his feelings on her? Wasn't he looking at their relationship all wrong?

Hancock looked back at the city and made up his mind.

* * *

Cap slept in a little later than she normally did. She was always woken up by Hancock coming in after his morning guard shift with a cup of mud that they called coffee, and some breakfast. But today, the new recruit Cookie was training delivered her morning meal. She frowned.

"Have you seen Hancock this morning?" She asked as she sat behind the table to eat.

"Oh…. Umm… yes, ma'am. He left. Said he was going back to Goodneighbor. He left you this." He said and handed a letter to Cap, who grabbed it with wide eyes. The note was short and to the point.

 _Needed to go back to Goodneighbor to get my head on straight. My town needs me more than you do now. Take care of yourself and I'll see you around._

 _John Hancock_

Cap frowned at the note, angrily. She crumpled it up and threw it over her shoulder. She had bigger things to deal with than a moody ghoul who she thought was her friend. Or maybe… She couldn't think about that now. She had too much to do for the day.

* * *

Sturges was able to get the teleporter up and running in just a few days. The thing stood 15 feet tall and crackled with blue light. The three pillars formed a pyramid to the top connecting piece. The base was drenched in blue light as arcs of electricity connected with the metal base.

The Minutemen stood around the courtyard, marveling at the machine that was barely holding itself together. Cap stood next to Sturges at the control panel as Ryan looked it over.

"And you're sure I won't get vaporized, right?" Ryan shouted over the sounds of the teleporter.

Sturges shrugged. "I'm sure I built it the best I could. We got the code from the courser in the terminal. It just needs you on the platform." He said with a smile.

Ryan walked to Cap and sighed heavily. "Well… I guess this is it." He said.

Cap wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. "Be careful, alright. Go find your son." She said with a smile.

Ryan hugged her back as Sturges held out a holotape. "I figured, if you made it back, this would be the best chance we got to learn about the Institute. Just stick this into one of their terminals, if they have any, and it will download whatever it can into the holotape. We can maybe use it later, if we need to." He said.

Ryan nodded and slipped it in his pocket before letting Cap go. "Wish me luck?" He asked to her softly.

"You won't need luck." Cap replied and patted his arm. Before she knew it, Ryan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss. The Minutemen in the courtyard whooped and cheered at the lovers' embrace.

Cap pushed him back just as Ryan broke the kiss and looked at him, stunned. "See you when I get back." He said and ran to the teleporter. Cap watched as Sturges pushed the button to send the vault dweller to the Institute, making him vanish in blue light. Once Ryan was gone, the machine burst into pieces from the strain, and the low quality parts that were used to build it.

Nick stood among the Minutemen, watching as the first man from the Commonwealth went willingly into the Institute. As the group dispersed once the excitement of the teleporter started to wane, Cap approached him, her face red, though she tried to hide it. "Well… that was quite a show." The synth said with a smile.

"Yeah…" Cap said and shook his head. "What are you going to do now?"

"I guess go back to the agency. No use waiting here to see if he ever comes back. He knows where to find me if he makes it out." Nick replied.

"Why don't you leave tomorrow. It's pretty late and you won't make it to Diamond City before nightfall." She suggested.

"That's a good idea. I appreciate the hospitality." The old synth replied.

* * *

The Castle soon was back to its normal routine, without Mayor Hancock of course. Cap went back to work, but took her dinner with the troops in the eatery. The Castle was falling quiet for the night when a familiar crackle and electric buzz sounded in the courtyard. It sounded like the teleporter was working again, but that wasn't possible. It was destroyed after it was used.

Cap, Twoey, Nick, and the few Minutemen that were still awake ran into center of the fort to see Ryan standing in there. He looked around and saw the group of Minutemen, and Cap. He smiled and ran to her, trying to hug her. She stopped him by holding out her hand. "You…. You're back? Did you make it into the Institute?" She asked, shocked that he was back so soon, but still upset that he had kissed her like he had before he left. Nick and the others created a horseshoe around him, Valentine patting his back in a way to welcome him back to the Commonwealth.

Ryan didn't seem to notice her standoff behavior, and instead was smiling like an idiot. He nodded. "I have. And it was amazing…. They have a paradise down there! I can't even begin to explain it, Evelyn. But it's… it's perfect down there." He said.

"Did you find Shaun?" She asked.

"What? Oh… Yeah, I found him." Ryan said. As if he forgot that he was going there for his son. "He's not like I remember him, but he's alive. I can't wait for you to meet him." He said, holding Cap's hand.

"Meet him? You brought him out here with you?" Cap asked, trying to understand what he meant.

"What? No! He's still in the Institute. No, I want you to come with me there." Ryan replied, with a chuckle. "You'll love it there. It's safe, there's food, clean water, warm beds, everything! I asked them and they said I could bring you back with me."

Cap looked confused. "With you? Why would you ask if I could go there?"

Ryan looked at her and smiled. He looked calmer now, more serious. "Because I want you to live with me. To be mine. You are the only thing up here I want to take back to the Institute with me. The only thing I want to protect and keep."

Cap pulled her hand out of his now, looking angrily at him. "What? You… you think I would want to live in the Institute?"

"Well, once you see it, I know you will want to." Ryan replied. "We could be happy together there."

Cap looked at Ryan with a cold, emotionless face. Her eyes bore into his when she said, "Ryan, there is no "we". There is no "us". And I would rather die than go willingly to the Institute." She said.

Ryan's smile fell. He was in shock that the woman he cared for, the one he wanted had denied him. Had admitted that she would rather die than be with him; safe in the society that his son was the leader of. "You're making a mistake." He said softly.

Cap shook her head and took a step away from him, rejoining the assembled group of Minutemen, her mercs, and Nick. "No, I'm not. You're the one making the mistake. Have you forgotten everything that the Institute has done? They play God, Ryan. They steal people, they force synths into slavery… They are the true evil in the Commonwealth."

At this, Ryan grew angry. "If you don't come with me, then I will have no choice but to make the Minutemen the enemy of the Institute. You, and the rest of the degenerates up here on the surface. That includes the damned Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad, everyone that stands in the Institutes way. You'll all be destroyed!"

Evie looked over her shoulder at the group, who all smiled at her. She looked back at Ryan. "We have always been the enemy of the Institute. It's about time they joined the party."

Ryan glared and looked down at his Pip-boy. With a few presses of the buttons, he was gone in a flash of blue light.

"What…. Does this all mean, General?" One of the Minutemen asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"It means that we need to prepare for war." She said and turned away from the group.

"What about the other groups that the little prick mentioned?" Twoey asked, following Cap into the halls of the fort.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? I think it's time that we all had a little chat." Cap sat behind her table.

"Think we can figure a way to get into the Institute?" her second in command asked.

"This might help." Nick said and set the holotape that Sturges had given Ryan on the table, sliding it to Cap. "Bet there is a few juicy pieces of information on there."

"How did you get this?" Evelyn asked, shocked.

"I had a bad feeling when he came back into the courtyard. So I picked his pocket when I was close enough to him." Nick said with a smile.

Ev smiled back. "Well, let's get to work then."

* * *

In a flash, Ryan was back in the Relay room in the Institute. He was fuming mad at what had happened on the surface. He was sure Cap felt the same way he did. He also knew that she was dangerous. Bringing her to the Institute would've taken care of two problems at once.

He punched the button on the elevator and rode it to Father's office. The leader of the Institute was sitting in a chair, being looked at by a doctor. When he entered, the doctor took his leave. The old man in a white lab coat rose to his feet. "Well? I don't see anyone with you, father."

"It didn't go as planned, Shaun. We have to start planning out attacks on the surface." Ryan said, angrily.

"You are upset. You are not thinking clearly. The Institute has never lead actual attacks on the Commonwealth. Taking things we need here and there, of course. But… never an outright war." Father replied.

"Well, it's about time that we do. This woman… she is dangerous. She has an army with her now. And you already know the possible threat that the Brotherhood of Steal pose. The Railroad too. You have me on your side now. We can win a war, decimate our opponents…" Ryan added.

"For the good of the Institute…" Father said, looking into his father's eyes.

"For the good of the Institute." Ryan replied.


	18. Elder Maxson

**Chapter 18: Elder Maxson**

 _ **AN: It occurred to me today that I haven't posted in this story for a really long time. I apologize for that. Real life has been crazy and I have been working on another story all about raiders. (Some of you may have read it.) Check it out if you want something fun to read. Anyway, on with the chapter.**_

* * *

"Remind me again why we are going to the airport?" Boomer asked, his hands in his pockets, fidgeting with the handle of his pistol. Cap had asked him to leave his missile launcher at the fort, which he hated to do when they were walking straight towards the Brotherhood of Steel's headquarters.

"I told you. We need to make peace with all the factions up here to prepare for attacks from the Institute. We may not see eye to eye with the Brotherhood of Steel, but they deserve to know that they are a target and be given a chance to join us." Cap replied, calmly. She looked straight ahead to their destination.

"Let me rephrase that. Why are we going to the airport with him?" Boomer motioned his head to Cookie, who was on the other side of her. "No offense Cook, but bringing a ghoul to the Brotherhood's HQ is just asking for trouble."

Cookie shrugged. "I don't hold a grudge against them. They may be assholes, but they haven't shot at me yet. Plus, I've always wanted to see the Prydwin up close. Won't have another chance, I'm guessing."

"That's the spirit." Cap replied, smiling at Cookie.

Boomer sighed. "Alright, but let's just try not to get our heads blown off, comprende?"

"Noted." Cap replied just as the trio approached the archway leading to the airport. The building was half blown up, with a large, gaping hole in the side of the concrete structure. The archway they were trying to make their way through was the remains of a gate of some sort which probably was designed to do the same thing it did now back in the prewar days; keep riffraff out. When the group came within 20 feet of the entrance, the Brotherhood guard, a knight in full power armor, ran to them.

"Alright, stop right there, scum. This is your one and only warning. Take that disgusting mutant out of here before I put a bullet in all three of you." The man said, pointing his large gun at Cap.

"Charming…" Boomer said under his breath, but loud enough for the guard to hear.

Cap held her hands out to the side, palms facing the guard, to show that she was unarmed. "We're not here to cause any trouble. We're here to see Paladin Danse. Is he around?"

"How do you know Paladin Danse?" The sentry inquired.

"We helped him out back at Cambridge. Just tell him that Cap wants to talk to him." She said, calmly.

The armored guard hesitated for a moment before telling a passing squire to go find Paladin Danse, who was probably checking into the missing supplies. The little girl, no older than 10, saluted before shooting Cookie a dark glare and running off to find Danse. Boomer chuckled and looked at Cookie, who returned the smile.

A few minutes later, Danse hurried to the entrance way, where Cap and company waited patiently. Without his helmet on, Cap could see a smile on his face as he approached them, which she returned.

"Captain. It's nice to see you again." He said. "And to your unit as well." His smile faltered when he saw Cookie again.

"Looks like you lot are dug in pretty deep, hm? Defenses are pretty solid. Guards could use an attitude adjustment, though." Cap said, pointing to the guard when she mentioned his attitude.

Before the guard could say anything, Danse held up his hand to stop the him from continuing. "What are you doing here, Captain? Seems like a far trek just to belittle our men."

"I came to talk to yyour elder. I know Maxson is on that giant metal balloon. I have important information that he should hear. Care to take us up there?" Ev asked.

"Information? What information?" Danse asked.

"I'd rather only say this once, if you don't mind. Trust me, your Elder will want to hear what I have to say." She replied.

Danse thought for a moment and eyed Cookie again. "You and your companion may come, but the ghoul stays behind."

"Not gunna happen. Cookie has been dying to see the inside of that thing. We all go up and are guaranteed a safe return to the ground, or I walk." Cap crossed her arms.

Danse sighed. "Alright. But he is your responsibility." He pointed a metal hand at Cookie and turned to lead the way to the vertibird that would take them to the airship.

* * *

The Commonwealth. Home of the Institute, the single greatest threat to mankind. How people lived with technological monsters like the synths among them was hard to comprehend. But any threat can be faced and overcome. For the good of the people of the Commonwealth, the Brotherhood of Steel would prevail.

"Elder Maxson! Permission to speak with you, sir." Maxson's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of Paladin Danse.

"Of course, Paladin. What is it?" Maxson turned from the large window in the front of the airship as he spoke. His eyes met that of Danse's, but quickly moved to see the three people behind his soldier. In particular, his eyes landed on the ghoul that was fouling up his ship. " What is this?! Have you lost your senses, soldier?!" He added, in shock.

Before Danse could defuse the situation, Cap walked around the power armored man and smiled at the Elder. "Hello, Art. My my, how you've grown." She said.

Maxson sneered at her. "Why am I not surprised to see you here, freak?"

"It's General now. I'm here on behalf of the Minutemen to give you a warning. So save the attitude." She replied.

The young Elder grimaced. "What warning could you possibly have for the Brotherhood? Ignoring the insult you are making perfectly clear with your choice of traveling companion, what information could you possibly be aware of that would affect us?"

"The institute is gunnin' for any threats to them in the Commonwealth. That includes both the Minutemen and the Brotherhood of Steel. I'm not sure what kind of forces they can throw at us, but I have a bad feeling we are going to need all the help we can get. Both of our groups could be in danger." She explained, her face serious now.

Maxson scoffed. "Your Minutemen may need us, but the Brotherhood does not need you rabble. Our soldiers are well trained and can handle any threat. Now, if you'd like to join our ranks, your men and women would be welcome here. But if you are suggesting we help you, than you are sadly overestimating your importance."

Cap smiled again and shook her head. "Always a pleasure, Maxson. I do hope, for your men's sake, that I'm wrong, and that you won't regret declining my offer."

"Sir, perhaps you should reconsider this offer. The captain is an able fighter and a very good leader. Her Minutemen know the lay of the land better than anyone. It would be a tactical mistake to not form some kind of military alliance for a short time until our mutual enemy has been dealt with." Danse said, trying to reason with Maxson.

"Paladin! We are not going to discuss any sort of alliance with a group of farmers wielding pitchforks! You are dismissed!" Arthur order and turned from them.

Cap patted Danse's arm as she passed him to lelave. "Don't bother trying to reason with him, Danse. He is a close minded child that still has a lot of growing up to do." She smiled to him. "Good luck. I hope he doesn't get all of you killed with his choices." She then nodded to her mercs and they left to return to the fort.

* * *

At sunset that evening, Evelyn was standing on the west wall of the fort, looking out towards the city. She wore the blue jacket of the General of the Minutemen now, figuring it was more fitting than her black coat. She pressed a cigarette in between her lips and took a long drag, lost in thought as her mind wandered. It wasn't until the heavy boots of her second in command walked up the metal steps and over to her that her focus was drawn back.

"What did you find out, Twoey?" She asked, not looking at him.

"Talked to that Stockton guy. He said that if someone was looking for the railroad, they would have to follow the 'Freedom Trail.' Turns out there is an old path called the Freedom Trail that runs along the historical sites in the city. If we follow that, we should find their HQ." Twoey stood next to her, crossing his arms.

"Good. We will head out there tomorrow." She said, taking another puff.

"I, umm… I asked about Hancock too. You know, 'cause I was curious." The large man seemed nervous about sharing this information with Cap.

"Oh? Didn't know you cared that much about him." She replied, coldly.

"Come on, boss… Don't be like that. It's pretty obvious you cared about him. And he definitely cared about you-"

"Where is he, T?" Ev interrupted.

Twoey sighed. "He's back at Goodneighbor. Seems to be taking up being Mayor again." He said softly.

Ev nodded. "Good. Glad you asked about him." She flicked the cigarette butt to the ground below and turned to walk down to the courtyard.

"You ain't worried about him?" He asked, following her down.

"Hancock left, Twoey. I didn't kick him out. He just up and left without so much as a goodbye." Evelyn looked over her shoulder at him. "So, forgive me if I'm not worried about him. He's safe back in his drug den, where he can wallow in his chems." She walked back to her quarters.

Twoey watched her go and sighed heavily, sitting on the metal steps to think.

* * *

"No, a little higher on the left." Avery said, pointing with her left hand. "Yeah….. that's perfect."

Kent hammered in the nail in the top left corner of the Minuteman flag that he was hanging over the bottles of alcohol behind the bar. He had gotten the flag with the last shipment of goods from Cap, along with a note saying she would visit as soon as she could. He hopped off the chair that he was standing on and admired his work. "Yeah… I think th-that looks pretty g-good." He said with a nod.

"Not bad." Another voice added, making the ex-raider and the ex-radio personality turn around to see Hancock walking into the Maiden Inn.

"Oh! M-mayor Hancock. I heard you were b-back in town. It's good to see you." He said and smiled.

Hancock sat down on a stool at the bar. "Mind if I get a drink?" He asked, placing a handful of caps on the counter.

Avery eyed him with a bit of disdain, remembering how he treated her in the past, but pushed it aside and returned to her post guarding the front door.

"What'll it b-be, Mayor?" Kent asked.

"Scotch works." He replied and held the glass as the bartender filled it.

"I figured Cap would be with ya, s-seeing as you two were inseparable before."

Hancock waved his hand. "Yeah, well… I can only be away from Goodneighbor for so long before she calls out to me again. With the threat of the Institute still out there… Thought it was high time I came home. Make sure this place stays free, ya feel me?" He asked and downed the scotch in one gulp.

Kent looked at him, a bit worried. "You alright, M-Mayor Hancock? Nothing bothering you?"

Hancock shook his head. "Never better, my man." He said with a smile and got to his feet. He clamped a hand on Kent's shoulder. "Take good care of this place, alright?"

Kent nodded and watched as Hancock started to leave. "Hey H-hancock?" The ghoul mayor turned to look at Kent over his shoulder. "I hope you and Cap are ok. She really is one of a kind, and I think really likes y-you."

Hancock huffed out a laugh. "We are both better off like this. Trust me." He replied and walked out of the inn, the smile gone from his face.


	19. The Railroad

**Chapter 19: The Railroad**

* * *

 _ **AN: Been a while since I updated. Thanks everyone for continuing to read. As always, I appreciate reviews, comments and all of that.**_

* * *

Cap opened the door to the old North Church. Inside, she was confronted with corpses, overturned pews, floors that had collapsed to the sitting areas below, and a few ghouls that crawled back to life the moment she took a step onto the dusty floor. She raised her combat rifle and fired off a few shots before Twoey and MacCready joined her in dispatching the undead menaces. Once the groaning had stopped, she shouldered her weapon and pressed on.

"I refuse to believe that the password to their top secret base is literally their name." McCready said as the trio descended down the stairs into the crypt.

"Well, that's what the letters spelled out." Cap replied with a shrug.

"But what group of people that have kept themselves a myth in the Commonwealth for so llong would use such an obvious password?!" He retorted.

"Maybe they have more security inside so the password isn't that important." Twoey replied, bashing one feral ghoul in the face as it rose out of a coffin that they passed by.

"Well, they better." The merc replied with a shake of his head.

As the three intruders came to the end of the hall, Cap noticed wires coming out of a circular seal made of brass. She ran her hand over the letters and turned the face of the seal. She lined up the marked indicator with an "R" and pressed the center of the seal. "Huh… I guess that's what we have to do." She thought out loud and continued to spell out "A-I-L-R-O-A-D" in this manner.

When the last letter was pressed, the brick wall to the left of the seal fell backwards and slid open. MacCready rubbed his forehead. "There are no words…."

Cap smirked and walked inside the darkened room beyond, followed by her cautious teammates. Once over the threshold of the hidden doors, blinding spotlights pointed at the entrance turned on and caused the mercs to withdraw slightly. Three people stood within the light, one armed with a pistol, the other with a mini gun, all pointed at Cap and crew.

"Hold it right there. I'm only going to ask this once. Who are you?" The person in the middle, a woman with reddish brown hair, a yellow vest, plaid scarf, and jeans said while smoking a cigarette.

Cap held her hand up to shade her eyes from the lights. "Just your friendly, neighborhood grave robbers who stumbled across your hidden base." She said with a smirk.

"Oh? And you just happened to guess our passcode, did you?" The woman shot back.

"Well, to be fair, it wasn't really that hard. I mean… It IS your name. Might as well have made the code be, 'Institute Attack Here'." Cap replied.

The mini gun whirred to life before the woman in the middle held her hand up, indicating the heavily armed woman to her right to stand down, which she obeyed. "How did you find us?"

"Read a pamphlet that said to follow the freedom trail. Really guys, how the institute hasn't found you yet gives me hope that we can clear them out after all." Cap, now used to the harsh light, crossed her arms. "That's what I came here to talk to you about."

"You came to talk to us about clearing out the Institute? I'll believe that when I see it." The woman replied.

Before Cap could reply, a man in a white tee shirt, black hair and dark sunglasses walked out from a door behind the leader. "You're having a party? What gives with my invitation?" He smiled smugly at the woman.

"Deacon! Where have you been? What can you tell me about this person?" The woman in charge asked.

"Wow, news flash, boss. She's kind of a big deal. This is Evelyn, leader of the Minutemen. Seems like the whole Commonwealth is flying her flag and with good reason. She is the one who has been mopping up muties and keeping the raiders on their toes all across the Wasteland. Might be worth hearing her out." Deacon replied with raised eyebrows.

"Oh? You mean the rednecks that have no problem putting down synths?" Glory alleged with venom on every word.

"I can't speak for everyone in the wastes, but the Minutemen have never persecuted synths." Cap explained, defending herself.

"True. And she's the one that helped H2-22 get to old man Stockton." Deacon said to Glory. "So let's cut back on the judgement a bit, alright?"

The woman in the middle sighed and looked Cap over. "I'm Desdemona, leader of the Railroad. If we seem suspicious, it's for good reason. If the Institute ever found this place, we'd all be done for. But if you've helped synths, that'll buy you our attention for a few minutes. So, you say you are trying to clear out the institute?"

Evelyn nodded and sighed. "Look, I'd rather not go into detail staring at you through bright lights. Is there somewhere else we can talk about this? This is rather sensitive information."

Desdemona looked at Deacon for his take. Deacon smiled, "I would say let her in, boss. She saved a synth, there's no way she's working for the Institute."

"Fine. But know that we are fully armed and won't hesitate to put you down if you so much as breathe the wrong way, got it?"

Cap saluted. "You made it crystal clear. Lead the way, Des."

Deacon smirked at Cap's brazen way of handling things and walked next to her as the group of Minutemen was escorted down to the bowels of the crypt, the Catacombs.

* * *

The Railroad's secret base had very low, arched ceilings. Coffins and skeletons littered the floor and around them were the trappings of the group of freedom fighters. Bedrolls were spread between the dusty corpses, along with cooking stations, armor and weapon smiths, a medical bay, firing range and a few desks with terminals to keep the agents of the Railroad organized.

Cap followed Desdemona down the stairs and to the center, where she had a map of the Commonwealth spread out on a round table. "Well? Say what you have come here to say?"

Ev sighed and stuffed her hands into her coat pocket. "The Institute is gunning for you. And I know that that isn't anything new, but this time they have a person in charge to do it. What I am proposing is an alliance. The Minutemen are working on plans to rid the Commonwealth of this threat for good. But we can't do it alone and while we plan, all of the factions on the surface are in serious danger of being wiped out. We have to work together to get through this."

"And why do you think the Minutemen can get this done, hm? I haven't seen one of your kind do anything to help a runaway synth… They're nothing but a group of wastelanders with guns trying to police the Commonwealth." A young man in a newsboy cap said, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed over his chest.

Ev smiled to him when he was finished. "And what has the Railroad done for the Commonwealth as a whole? How many of you have put your life on the line for another human, for a settlement? How many of you have cleared out a raiders den, or destroyed Supermutants because they threatened to harm something that was not made in the Institute?" She asked, waiting for an answer.

"Synths have no one to fight for them except us." Glory replied, defiantly.

"And since the fall of the Minutemen, no one was doing that for the people in the wastes either. There are a lot more humans than there are free synths out there." Cap shot back. "I'm not trying to reduce your importance to the betterment of the Commonwealth, or say that synths don't need help, but the thought of helping just one particular group of people and ignoring the cries for help from everyone else is cold. So before you go putting the Minutemen down as something beneath you, try taking a hard look at yourself in the mirror and think about the bigger picture."

The room fell silent for a few seconds after Cap's speech. Twoey and MacCready smirked at the silence that followed.

"Now, let's move beyond our obvious differences, and focus on what we need to work on together." Cap said, walking to the map table. "The Institute is a threat that we have to deal with, now more than ever."

Desdemona walked to the table as well, stubbing out her cigarette. "You mentioned that there was someone in charge there that could lead more attacks now?"

Cap nodded. "Yeah. A man named Ryan is part of the Institute. He went in looking for his son but decided that the Institute was the best hope for humanity's future. He decided to side with them."

"Ryan?" Des looked shocked and then turned to Deacon, who's color had left his face.

"Yeah… you all know him?" The General asked.

"We helped decode a courser chip for him. He said he was going to use it to get into the Institute." A tall, thin, dark skinned man with a helmet full of junk spoke up.

"Yup. That's him. We helped him build the machine. Wait… He's been here, hasn't he?" Ev asked.

"We let him in. We let him down here." Glory said angrily and grabbed her minigun.

The tension in the room started to rise when it sunk in to everyone that the Institute knew exactly where their oldest enemy was. "You have to come with us. Evacuate the base and come to the Castle. We can keep you safe." Ev said. "Twoey, go to the outside of the church. Keep watch. If anyone gets close, get down here and let us know."

Twoey nodded and headed up to the church, followed by Glory who would do the same.

"We don't know that the Institute will attack us." A man in a lab coat protested.

"You want to take that risk, Carrington? Then you can stay behind." Deacon said and began instructing the other agents to prepare to leave.

Des was about to stop Deacon when Cap placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise, Des. We are on the same side, here. Your people will be safe with us and when the Institute has been dealt with, we can go our separate ways."

The leader of the Railroad looked over her shoulder at the General of the Minutemen and nodded with a sigh. "Alright. Just don't make me regret this."

As everyone was packing up their gear, blasts from energy weapons could be heard from the upper floors. Cap cringed and hoped Twoey was alright. Some of the other Railroad agents ran back through the crypt to hold the attacking forces back to give the others enough time to leave.

"Do you have another escape route?" Evelyn asked, pulling out her rifle.

Deacon nodded. "Yeah, this way. Everyone! Let's go!" He shouted and lead the way through a hidden tunnel out the back of the crypt. It was partly flooded, but lead to a building that was partially collapsed, leading to the ground level of a house with a chained door leading to the outside.

The young man in the newsboy cap ran to the exit, removed the chains, and opened the door as the rest of the group made their way up the broken floor. As the door swung open, he came face to face with a synth, it's laser pistol pointed at his face. Before the young man could slam the door shut, the synth pulled the trigger, sending a blast through his head.

"Drummer Boy! No!" Deacon shouted and ran to get his fallen friend.

Cap shot the synth through the head, dropping it with a few well-placed shots. "MacCready! Get the door closed!" She shouted. The merc rushed forward and slammed the door closed as three more synths were making their way to the entrance. Cap helped replace the chains over the door to hold it in place for now. "Everyone, get back to the hideout!" Cap ordered.

The Railroad agents turned and ran back down the escape tunnel. Once back in the underground lair, Deacon and Desdemona worked on setting up guards on the entrances to wait for the onslaught of attacking synths down the escape tunnel.

"We're trapped down here…" Carrington said, shaking his head. "I knew we shouldn't have trust that scum!"

"Where's the radio down here?" Cap demanded, speaking to the negative doctor.

"In the corner." He pointed.

Without another word, Evelyn rushed to the HAM radio and turned the frequency to the Minutemen radio. "This is General Evelyn. Requesting troops to the Old North church. We need backup now!"

"We have a checkpoint and two settlements in the area, General. We will send anyone in the vicinity to assist. ETA ten minutes." The responder said.

"Direct the troops to get here as soon as they are able. We are going to need all the support we can get." She replied.

"Roger. We will dispatch troops immediately."

"General out." Cap powered down the radio and turned to see Des and Deacon behind her. "We have forces incoming. Should be here in about 10 minutes. We have to hold them off until then. The main point of attack is the front entrance. It will take some time for the synths to break through into the escape tunnel. You keep that tunnel clear. I'll make sure the front door holds until reinforcements arrive. MacCready, give them a hand down here."

MacCready nodded and walked to take a post near the escape tunnel. Des nodded. "We… appreciate the help, General."

Ev smirked and tapped her shoulder. "Like I said, we got to work together or we're all going to fall." With that, she rushed past the Railroad agents and through the crypt. As she got to the church doorway, she saw synths in between the pews and on the second floor balconies, as Glory and the other Railroad members confined to the hallway leading to the crypt. Twoey was nowhere in sight.

Cap ran to Glory and hid behind the wall she was using as cover. "Where's my second in command?!" She demanded.

Glory shook her head. "He was shot. He's still up on the balcony, to the left there. I tried to get to him, but the synths have us pinned down. I… I think he's still alive, cause I keep seeing shots being fired from up there. But I don't know how much longer he can hold out."

Cap glared and pulled out a pulse grenade. She armed it and threw it into the center of the church floor. The explosion ripped through the synths, stunning most and overloading a few closest to the blast. "Keep Firing!" She directed to her allies before running straight into the church. She had her pistol in her hand and took shots at the synths that were between her and her friend. She heard Glory and the rest open fire on the synths to give Cap support as she hit the stairs and rushed up to the balcony.

When she cleared the last step, she saw Twoey pointing a gun at her. He smiled. "Hey Boss." He said. Evelyn saw blood covering his stomach and chest. He was sitting on the ground with his back propped up against the bannister that ran around the balcony of the old church. His eyes were half closed and glazed over.

Evie rushed to his side and took a knee next to him. "Where's your Stimpaks?" She asked with a small smile, pulling one out of her bag. She injected it into his abdomen to help the wounds close.

"Gave 'em… to that Glory girl… Figured she might need 'em." Twoey replied, his eyes closing.

"No no, none of that. You aren't leaving us just yet. Backup is on the way. We are making it out of here." Cap said, supporting his head as he slid down the wall.

"I miss them… my wife… my kid…" He said softly, his eyes closed still. "Think they're still waiting for me?"

Cap sighed and brushed his hair out of his face. Though the Stimpak was closing the wound, the amount of blood that he lost was life threatening. "Yeah, Twoey. They are waiting for ya. But I think you should keep 'em waiting a little longer, ok? You have too many people who care about you here to let go." She replied, a tear welling in her eye.

"They got you, boss. You're the one that's goin' to protect the whole Commonwealth. I know… I'm leavin' everyone in good hands." He looked up at her with a smile. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Tell Boom and Cookie that I'll miss 'em too."

Cap nodded and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for being there for me. We'll make you proud."

Twoey nodded. "Goodbye, boss." He said and his breath grew shallow, his head resting on her lap. A few second later, his body went limp and her best friend was gone. Cap hugged him close, tears falling down her face.

The gunfire below had intensified as another wave of synths made it through the doors to attack. Cap heard metal feet on the stairs behind her and as two synths rushed up to the top step, laser rifles pointed in her direction, Cap swung Twoeys assault rifle towards them and opened fire. They dropped and tumbled down the stairs. She threw another pulse grenade over the bannister, stunning the newest wave. She followed it up with a frag grenade, blowing the incoming synths to pieces.

Using the bannister for cover, she continued to fight with the Railroad agents as support until they retook the church and started to push outside. Cap insisted on leading the charge and opened the door to see fifteen more synths, all pointing their guns at the open entryway. Before her and her five allies could open fire, the Minutemen attacked from behind, catching the synths completely off guard. They spun around to defend themselves as Cap instructed the freedom fighters inside the church to open fire.

With overwhelming force, the Minutemen assisted in cleaning up any of the remaining enemy forces. Once inside the church, The General broke the news to her troops that Twoey didn't make it. She ordered three of them to carry him back to the castle for a proper burial. They saluted and walked to the balcony to take their comrade back home. Glory followed them up to help.

Evelyn walked through the crypt, her hands in her pockets. As she walked, her new allies bowed their heads in respect for her loss and didn't openly celebrate their win until she had passed. Walking into the catacombs, she saw the Railroad was continuing to pack up their gear, much happier than the group above ground. They hadn't heard the news of the people lost during the fight.

"Cap! You made it! Not that I had any doubts, but you know… We held 'em off pretty good down here. Only had a few come down the tunnel. Guess you were right that the main attacks would be coming from the front." MacCready said, smiling from ear to ear. When he looked into her eyes, his smile faded. "Where's Twoey…?"

Evelyn shook her head and walked past him without another word. MacCready took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair, in shock. He was pretty sure that Cap's second in command was part Supermutant, and the thought of him falling in battle seemed impossible.

Cap walked to Desdemona and Deacon, who had seen the exchange with the ex-Gunner. "General… I am so sorry for your loss." Des said.

"Please have everything packed up and ready to move out in the next twenty minutes. I have more men coming to help us get back to the Castle." She replied in a cold voice. "Once we are back at our HQ, we will start to discuss our plans for leading an assault directly on the Institute. We're going to make them pay for all the pain they've caused."


End file.
